Miles and Puddles

Hey Jen!

  I just wanted to check in and tell you about my day!  I'm in Lenox, MA this week staying with a student of mine from last year and her sister while their parents are out of town. I set my alarm for 6am today, to get up and make a good breakfast for the girls before school. I woke up to pouring rain and instantly knew I had to go for a run once I dropped tbe girls off at school. I'm not sure what it is about the rain, but I am so motivated, especially to run when it rains. Strangely, a sunny day does nothing for me. This town is so beautiful, even when it's grey and wet. I haven't been able to go over 3 miles since June because of my knee, but today I set out knowing I could do more.  I ran 5 miles and didn't want to stop!  I was running through puddles and leaves were falling all around me- it was magical. I feel like myself again!!  A slower version of me (hey, i'm out of practice) but still like me!  

So now, tell me, how is everything?  Were you able to get back on track after your vaykay in Belgium?  How does it feel to be a runner again?!  I'm so proud and excited for you!  Now we can chat all about gear and share inspo quotes!  

Looking forward to your update!

Xoxo

jeni

The Rosy Cheeks are Back!!

Jen,

  Oh my gawd. I can't believe it has been so long... What's new???   I see on FB that you're running!  I can't wait to hear/read all about it.  I have to admit that my fitness level and activities drastically dropped off for a few months. Back in June I hurt my knee so badly that there were days over the last few months that it was excruciating to walk up or down the stairs at home.  Well over the last month I got back in the habit of walking 2-4 miles a day with Roscoe and it seems as though my knee is better!!  I'm in the city this week and went for a run through Ditmas Park last night and there was no pain!  I was back to my normal self!  I went for a run 7 weeks ago and was near tears i was in so much pain... I was "running" or rather limping at a 12min/mile pace... Last night I felt like I was flying!!  And then nike+ told me I was running a 9:47/mile, which is actually very slow for me, but hey, compared to 7 wks ago, that is flying. I am soooo sooo sooo beyond happy to be back!  I just don't really feel whole when I'm not running. I'm going to run again today and this time through Prospect Park- wish me luck!   There's really nothing that compares to exercised-induced rosy cheeks, am i right?!?!  

Xo xo

-Jeni

The R Word

Hey Jeni! 

How have you been? I'm sad that you don't have a computer to write to me, but luckily I can keep this up and running for the both of us! 

RUN. run. R-U-N. 

That's all I ever want to do and I'm not supposed to do it. 

I've been working on training off my knee braces for months and I finally feel like I can workout successfully without as much support. I am continuing with my strength training (3x per week). I makes me so sad that I can't do something that I would really like to do. 

Running opens up the door to a sprint tri or some other fun activity that I would like to scratch off my bucket list. 

But I'm not supposed to do it. The problem is, I'm not 100% convinced that I cannot run. I think I can with the right training plan. I've already trained myself to run once before, why not try again? 

Enter my sister with a great idea to consider running a 5k with her and my desire to what I'm not supposed to do turns into what maybe I'm supposed to try. 

So what did I do today? I did a strength based workout with a short 15 minute low effort walk/run rotation. It only involved 3.5 minutes of running. No big deal. 

From here, it's a waiting game to see how I feel tomorrow. I'm hoping that tomorrow goes well! 

Xoxo

Jeni

A Sunday Smoothie

Hey Jeni! 

How are you? Make any good dresses this weekend? 

I wanted to share with you my favorite smoothie recipe. I have been drinking this smoothie for awhile now and everyday I love it. I got the idea from a friend and it's been love ever since! 

It's a wonderful green smoothie but still zesty and fruity:

Coconut water (could also do water but it balances the flavor)

Lemon juice

Ginger powder 

Kale

Pineapple

Parsley (only a handful here)

You mix all these ingredients together in a blender and enjoy! You can adjust the taste based on the ratio of kale to pineapple. I prefer an equal mix. You can also decide how much ginger you put it. I love ginger so I put in about ten shakes of powder. 

Lately I have been trying to work some hemp powder into the smoothie but I have noticed that it drastically changes the taste. It's a little chalky. I attempted to sweeten with agave nectar (which I really am a fan of right now instead of honey) but it still has that taste. Additional protein in this shake is appreciated, but my options are really limited with my food sensitives. Any suggestions? 

Anyways, today I planning on some weight training with a little bit of cardio. I have a wedding to go to later that I have to prep for. Lots of things going on! 

Tell me about your weekend, I would love to hear about it!

Xoxo

Jenne

Too much hype

Jeni, 

I'm sitting around drinking a kombucha and thinking. It's a refreshing evening for me to sit around and overthink life. So tonight I provide you with one of my most honest posts yet. 

So I ask you this... What drives you to be healthy? To "get that body?" Do you ever find yourself getting caught up in all the hype to please others? 

As I think back over the almost two years that I have been working on my fitness, part of me wonders if I have been playing into the hype. I want to look good if that I happen to run into so and so when I'm back Albany. I'm concerned about abs on the beach. Heaven forbid I have a bit of cellulite on my thighs at the pool. I want my hair long because that's how mermaids and Victoria's Secret Angels wear it. 

Let me enlighten you to the photo that I think captures one of the happiest times in my life: 

Now no one needs to be a genius to see I'm likely not svelte in this photo. In fact, I likely weigh 40-50 pounds more than I do now. Not many people were really "looking" at me at this point. I was happy regardless though. Where did that confidence and spark go? I rocked that body. Sometimes I don't want to even look at this one. 

I often share this photo to demonstrate my progress with weight loss and meeting goals. People like to laugh at it (Ok, I laugh at it too) and remark that I've changed a lot. It's only once that someone said to me, "You look really happy in this photo, where were you?" They focused on me as a person, not me and my weight. 

Why do I care what people think? Why keep my hair long when the whole point of it is to donate it to kids that have cancer? Because of the hype! 

I never started out this way. I did not give a s*** in high school. I wore neosporin on my face to heal my pimples all day long. But today, I want those abs, the skin of  20 year old who has tanned and no cellulite. On the other hand, I feel the best I have in my life, I'm excited to be fit. I was sad to miss workouts while on vacation. My body didn't work right. I'm excited to get toned up and my energy levels back. Where is the balance. How do I not buy into the hype and the often unattainable expectations that the media and society sets for women? 

Today I was reminded that maybe the hype doesn't matter so much. Whether I have abs or not is not going to change what people think or the actions they take.  Mostly because most people won't see them but that's besides the point. My abs will not control if you or the person next to you like me or not. Toned arms will not ensure my success in life or the amount in my retirement fund.  A defined rear end will not ensure a long and healthy relationship.

I'm humbled today.  I'm brought down to earth on what matters. The abs are great, but the mind is greater. 

Jeni, I value you, not because you are saucy in your homemade dresses, but dang girl, you make awesome dresses! Your spirit amazes me and your energy rocks. Keep that up. It's NOT hype. 

Your humbled Duder, 

Jenne 

Falling Off Track and Getting it Back!

Hey Jeni! 

It's been almost two months since my last post! Oh my gosh! 

As you know, I recently spent three blissful weeks in Europe. The first part I tried to stay active and even went to a gym there, but then I slipped into glorious sweets, cheese, bread, and wine ( how could I not?). An example is below: 

Everything is so fresh and looks yummy! I went down to Corsica for a few days where everyday I went to a market to pick up fresh local foods. You would gave loved it! 

From there things started to get gluttonous. Desserts, pasta, more bread, and more cheese! 

It was so much fun, but a great test to see how my body would react. As expected, I gained some pounds! Fifteen to be exact! 

So now I'm on a little challenge to work things off. I'm well on my way I think.  I forgot how addicting sweets can be! In fact, I've been having to adjust back into my plant based, lean protein diet by phasing out breads and other non plant carbs. I was pretty surprised. I'm still working on this but it's getting there. 

I share thus because I think it's good to know that the body sets itself up to crave these things. Then we can get upset when we want food perfection and to control everything that goes in the mouth. When making dietary adjustments, patience is needed! 

So, tell me what have you been up to? Anything exciting to report? 

Xoxo 

Jenne

Ps. Did I mention I'm learning a lot about being patient this week? 

Touring and Curing

Hey Jeni! 

Doesn't time fly when you are having fun! I checked out the blog today to learn that I haven't written you in two weeks. Where the heck did the time go? 

Oh yeah, that's right! I've been cycling, working, and then working at the gym even harder (oh yeah!). 

My vacation to Belgium is in a week and I half and my bag isn't even packed! But I have been getting ready to debut that summer bod! 

But let's go back to the Tour de Cure. I am happy to report that I had a very very successful ride this year. We rode the metric century (62.5) miles at a 15mph pace while supporting a wonderful cause (American Diabetes Association). 

Here we are at the starting line:

Here we are at rest stops throughout the way:

And our lovely bikes that got us through:

Overall I am very pleased with how everything went. I rode with my teammate Keri throughout the entire ride and met with other cyclists that I knew during the ride. 

Two things improved from last year

#1 I raised more money to stop diabetes! 

#2 I completed the ride faster and with less pain compared to last year 

Both of these things make me very happy. 

How have you been? How is your bike? Any biking plans coming up? 

Xoxo

Jenne