Weekly roundup: Friday potluck

Welcome to another installment of the weekly roundup we all know and love: Friday potluck! This week's theme: couch potatoes and other things to eat.


Couch potato nation!

According to a report released this month by the CDC, only one 1 of 5 American adults gets an adequate amount of exercise, based on the Physical Activity Guidelines:

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults get at least 2½ hours a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as walking, or one hour and 15 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, such as jogging, or a combination of both.  The guidelines also recommend that adults do muscle-strengthening activities, such as push-ups, sit-ups, or activities using resistance bands or weights.  These activities should involve all major muscle groups and be done on two or more days per week.

Readers, if you don't call yourselves "athletes," it's time to start. After all, if you're reading this lil blog about running, chances are good that you're in the top 20% of the nation's fit people. (That said, runners, be sure not to neglect your strength training!)


Reaching the highest heights (alt. title: NOT the couch potatoes)

With this week's record-setting base jump off Mount Everest, and last week's record-setting "oldest person to summit Everest," it's no surprise that The Economist decided to run the numbers on the world's deadliest peaks...

Image source

The deadliest by total number? Everest. By rate (relative to the number of attempts): Annapurna and K2.

Note: The oldest person to summit the world's tallest mountain is Yuichiro Miura of Japan. He was 80 years old when he reached the peak this time. He successfully made the climb at at 70 and age 75.


In My Kitchen...
... or rather, in early morning kitchens around the world.

This photo essay of breakfast traditions around the globe will leave you drooling. My personal favorite is now (and probably always will be) breakfast in Mexico. Beans, eggs, and maybe some savory shredded beef or chilaquiles on the side, served with a stack of warm tortillas. Mmm... heaven on a plate.

Image source

On a somewhat more eye-opening note, see Time's photo journal of family food consumption - quality and quantity - for a week, in different nations around the world. (PS - I'd like to think the American families are an aberration, a statistical anomaly, an un-representative sample... but I know I'm wrong.)


Quote of the week:

"Cast your bread upon the waters and it will come back sandwiches..."
(shared by J. Weeks)

Happy Friday, friends!

Training for two: week 17 details

Here are the workout details from week 17...

Baby's out for some exercise!

Friday: 4 mile walk

Saturday: 3 mile walk

Sunday: 3 mile walk around National Harbor (took the ferry across the Potomac) + painted the trim in the new living room (that's a workout, right?)

Monday: 4.25 mile run

Tuesday: 3 mile walk and prenatal yoga

Wednesday: 3 mile walk + 1 minute plank + 30 push-ups (got some strength training in this week!)

Thursday: 3 mile walk


THE TALLY:
19 miles walked, 4.25 miles run, and some strength and stretching.
My weekly strength training still has a long way to go to get back to "normal," but that's because of the move, not because of baby. My free weights will arrive on a moving truck in a few weeks!


WHAT I LOVED READING THIS WEEK:
Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth by Jenny McCarthy
McCarthy offers a refreshing, and often hilarious, down to earth perspective on the whole procreation process. If you're tired of books that compare your baby's development to the size of a fruit, but offer no practical advice about what you're really going through, READ IT.


Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.

Weekly roundup: Friday potluck

Welcome to another installment of the weekly roundup we all know and love: Friday potluck! This week's theme: running and not running


Running: PSA for run-commuters

Alma's post on things to absolutely ALWAYS remember if you run-commute had me chuckling.

Why was I laughing?
Because I've done exactly the same thing... and forgotten a crucial piece of work-attire at home. Oops! (Read The Average Woman Runner's run-commute snafu for yourself.) In my case, I didn't have a backup plan, so I high-tailed it to Macy's on my coffee break to replace the missing articles of clothing. Fit-commuting was definitely more expensive than gas that day!


Not running: Stupid People Tricks

As someone who's already getting fed up with unsolicited pregnancy and baby advice, this video MADE MY DAY:

Side Note: I think I'm going to write a book that's titled: "Billions of people on this planet raised perfectly healthy babies without high-tech advice from self-proclaimed 'child experts.' Why don't we all give that a try? Hmm...?"


Running: Shoes to save the world?

Researchers at Rice University developed shoes that collect the power we "lose" when our foot hits the ground. This might be the polar opposite of the barefoot running movement, but it sure beats getting tarballs stuck to your feet after an oil spill...


Not running: In My Kitchen...

My kitchen is still empty...

Just me and my folding chair...

 ... like echo-chamber empty.

But I have made several trips to the Alexandria farmers market!

Alexandria farmers market

I only have one pot and one frying pan, no measuring cups, and few cooking utensils, but that just means I need to get really creative with my culinary plans. Omelette with swiss chard? Check! Soup with kale, chicken, and brown rice? Check! Plate of fresh chopped veggies and hummus for dinner? Check!

A few more weeks like this, and I'll be prepared for one of those culinary survivor "reality" TV shows!


Quote of the week:

"It is impossible" said pride. "It is risky" said experience. "It is pointless" said reason. "Give it a try" whispered the heart.

Happy Friday, friends!

Training for two: week 16 details

Here are the workout details from week 16...

Friday: 4 mile walk

Saturday: Prenatal yoga

Sunday: 3.5 mile run, 2 mile walk

Monday: 3 mile walk

Tuesday: 3 mile walk

Wednesday: 3 mile walk

Thursday: 3 mile walk and prenatal yoga


THE TALLY: 14 miles walked, 3.5 miles run, and some yoga-ing.

The one thing I've truly slacked off on since the move? Strength training.

Skipping strength workouts made sense the first week of homeownership. Cleaning, painting, and lugging stuff home from the home improvement store was a full body workout in its own right. But I can no longer call it an "upper body workout" when I carry grocery bags home after work.

Next week's mission:

Must. Lift. Weights.

Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.

Training for two: week 15 details

Here are the workout details from week 15...

To be honest, I'm still getting into the swing of things in my new home, and I started MY NEW JOB this week!

So with everything else going on, I was just glad to get some exercise each day. I had no real "workout plan." (...Unless figuring out the fastest commute to work by walking various routes counts as a workout plan?)


Friday: 4 miles of running intervals (4 minute run / 1 minute walk)

Saturday: Prenatal yoga.
This is quickly becoming my favorite part of the week.

Sunday: In the morning I went for a 2.5 mile run without stopping for a walk or where's-the-nearest-bathroom break! I followed that up with a 3 mile afternoon walk. (So many parks! So few weekends!)

Monday: 2 mile walk

Tuesday: I spent the day at my new hospital getting a checkup and a tour of the labor and delivery center. That hardly counts as exercise, so we'll call this a "rest day."

Wednesday: 4 mile walk

Thursday: 4 mile walk
For what it's worth, I also experienced one of pregnancy's finer side effects: the pregnancy leg cramp. After being woken out of a sound sleep at 3am by searing pain in my left calf, I spent most of Friday hobbling around. Hmm... I haven't felt that since marathon training back in 2006.
And my foam roller is still in Florida. Damn!


THE TALLY:
10 miles walked, 6.5 miles run.
Not too shabby for a four-month-pregnant lady!


Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.

Training for two: week 14 details

Here are the workout details from week 14...*

Friday: Closing on the new house. I'm not even going to try and call this a "rest day."

Saturday: 8 hours of cleaning and painting = workout (right?)

Sunday: More cleaning. More painting. 8 more hours, to be precise.

Monday: Waited around for 6 hours for the gas company to show up only to find out (on my FOURTH call to them) that they "accidentally" cancelled my appointment. $#%@#$%@
I didn't raise my heart rate, but my blood pressure sure went through the roof.

Tuesday: More cleaning...

Wednesday: More cleaning...
(Will it ever end???)

Thursday: 45 minute walk.

THE TALLY:
Um... Mostly new-house move-in chores.
This week I tried to run, but baby-belly was bouncing too much for it to be comfortable. (Guys and not-pregnant gals -- imagine running while someone presses on your abdomen with each step and makes you feel like you have to pee. I love to run. I love it too much to hate it while I'm doing it. Hence: walking.)

And yeah. I know. All the "what to expect" books say I shouldn't be so huge that I have a bouncing baby-belly yet. But I'm a leggy 5'3." With my short torso, this baby has nowhere to go but out.

Thankfully my Gabrialla Maternity Support Belt** arrived on Thursday evening, so I took it out for a test run on Friday morning.

Success!!!
Friday's run felt like magic.

(Special thanks to The Average Woman Runner for the support belt recommendation!)



*Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.

**Also worth noting, I bought the maternity belt. This isn't a plug for a comp product. The ugly sucker won't win any fashion awards, but it really did work.

Weekly roundup: new home edition

Welcome to another installment of the weekly roundup we all know and love: Friday potluck!

This week's theme: I'm officially a Virginia resident! (And a homeowner!)


People Power

Waiting around for utility companies to re-start my water, electric, and gas service was a bear. If I had been really crafty, I could've skipped the whole waiting game entirely and used running to generate power for my home. Really! Runners generated electricity at the Paris marathon. Why can't I try that at home?
(Thanks to Chi for sharing the link!)


Stupid People Tricks

I think I'm going to register for a giant human bowling ball set as a housewarming gift...

Human bowling ball (image source)

... because, you know, we're not having fun until someone is zipped into a giant hamster toy.


Perspective

If I thought my week was stressful, with lost-appraisal chaos potentially delaying the closing date on our new home, the gas company "accidentally" cancelling my service appointment, and hubby and I spending a small fortune at home improvement stores... I was mistaken.

People who are having a worse day than you really put things in perspective.

(And if that Buzzfeed list of rough days isn't enough to prove that schadenfreude is alive and well, an Austrian hotelier was stuck in an elevator FOR FOUR DAYS.)


In My Kitchen...

This week my (new) kitchen had running water, but no hot water and no gas. So my culinary adventures were be limited to whatever the Whole Foods salad bar had to offer. (Could be worse, right?)


Quote of the week:

"Play not only keeps us young but also maintains our perspective about the relative seriousness of things. Running is play, for even if we try hard to do well at it, it is a relief from everyday cares."
Jim Fixx

... so now, I'm going out for a run!

Happy Friday, friends!

Training for two: week 13 details

Here are the workout details from week 13...

Friday: Hubby and I spent 6 hours walking and dancing our way around Jazzfest.

Saturday: Dancing = workout (right?) Honestly, my feet were so sore by the end of Jazzfest Day 2, that running simply wasn't an option.

Sunday: REST!

Monday: 60 minutes on the stationary bike + FitnessBlender's weight training workout for fat loss.
I've got to say... I was surprised to find that I did NOT like this FitnessBlender workout.
First, the name irks me. I lift weights for strength. Even without a baby on board, I could give a flying fig about suspicious claims of "fat loss." But, title aside, some of the exercises seemed a little awkward. The "single pullovers + leg raise" felt like a pulled muscle waiting to happen... (and that's not because I'm pregnant). I also had to modify the lunge with a twist. (Not a pregnant-lady-friendly move! At least not for this pregnant lady!) I did, however, like the squats with a ventral raise, and I'm always a fan of push-ups.

Tuesday: 4 mile walk

Wednesday: 2.5 mile run + 1.5 mile walk IN VIRGINIA!

Thursday: 30 minute walk.


THE TALLY:
2.5 miles run, 7.5 miles walked, plus an hour on the stationary bike, a strength-training session, and dancing.

From here on out, the rest of the weekend is all about closing on our new house, cleaning, painting, etc...

So if I fall off the blogging bandwagon, you'll know where to find me...

... I'll be doing dead-lifts with paint cans and bags of mulch in the nearest home improvement store.

Women building window frames in France during WWI
Image source

Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.

Virginia is for... runners

So, when I arrived in my brand-spanking-new hometown of Alexandria, Virginia last night, I did what any good runner would do. I ditched my bags at the hotel, and headed out for a run.

Running down brick-lined sidewalks is an aesthetic pleasure (but not ankle-friendly). That said, I was one happy runner when I got to the Potomac. I swear a runner designed the parks here. Long, gorgeous, well-groomed gravel trails wind alongside beautiful landscaping with a view over the river. Throw in a little springtime sunshine, and you have the ingredients for a perfect run.

A girl could get used to this.

This morning, I followed up with a visit to Pacers, a local running store, to get the inside scoop on group runs, races (at which you'll find me handing out cups of water and cheering on the sidelines for most of the 2013 racing season...), and other events.

And I saw this...

"Virginia is for runners" t-shirt

I haven't bought one of the Virginia is for Runners t-shirts.

Yet.

It won't fit over ,my expanding baby-belly.

But.

I'm glad to know I'm in good company here.

What's the first thing you look for when you move to a new neighborhood?