CrossTraining

For the last few months I've been getting up at 5:00 am to swim at the local high school pool, as a cross training  exercise and in preparation for the one lonely triathlon I am doing in August.  This particular tri is in open water.  Honestly I love to swim, in a pool...but I am really afraid of open water.  I can handle a river, it's narrow enough to be able to swim  across.  Open water, like a lake, is just scary for me.  I'm not used to being scared, so it's humbling for me to realize that I'm gonna have to suck it up and just do this.  In preparation for my open water swim, I am trying to make my swim portion of the the tri the easiest, and fastest leg for me.  I am not a fast cycle-er or runner.  ANYWHOOOOO...these 5 am rendezvouses (<-- is that a word?)  are starting to cut into my sleep.  I can't drink and if I do it can't be much on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday.  I can't over-eat or stay up late.  I have to be this responsible adult, cause my pals are depending on me (and I on them) to get my ass up the crack of dawn to exercise.

In all honesty, though, I really really enjoy getting up that early and being DONE with my exercise by 6:30.  It's so good to know that I don't have to do anything else, if I don't wanna.  If you're an early riser; what do you do?  How do you deal with being tired, the sleepy part of you, begging to stay in bed?

Are you planning on doing any athletic competitions this spring/summer, what are they?

Cheers!

Jeni

Resetting yourself

As I go through these stages in life, learning more and more about food and nutrition.  I become constantly amazed at the way FOOD impacts our life.  I want you to imagine for a second if you could not smell or taste.  You would only be able to eat food based on what you see.  Do you think you would be more likely to eat this:  

 or this

The amazing things that food can do for your body are just phenomenal.  It gives you life or death, right?  Food can fuel your body, mind, and soul or stop you dead in your tracks, literally.

We take advantage of the earth in so many ways, taking for granted food.  WE HAVE THE POWER to choose if food will kill us or truly give us a healthy life.  WE HAVE THE POWER to skip the drive through and prepare a healthy meal.  It's in our hands.  I am begging you to eat for life, not death.

Food can equal:

• Energy or lethargy
• Gas/bloat or healthy digestion
• Strong heart or heart disease
• Invigorating breath or barely breathing
• Running a marathon or sitting on the couch.

FOOD is energy, life, and health.  Every time you take a bite you are one step closer to life or death.

A friend of mine said something so profound to me it has stuck: "ONE BAD MEAL CANNOT MAKE YOU FAT; ONE HEALTHY MEAL CANNOT MAKE YOU THIN".  These are our every day choices, in moderation that make us who we are, and after all, we are what we eat.

When you stop and make a good choice, you will feel no guilt, no bloat, no weight gain.  Making a good food choice is setting the example for your spouse, and your children.  Make a small change a REAL goal to drink more water, or do 10 push ups for one full week.  When the week is done, pat yourself on the back and set another goal!

My goal this week is less alcohol.  I like a beer or whisky at night before bed to unwind and relax.  this week NO BOOZE!  What will you do for yourself this week?

Cheers!

Jeni

Tap Tap Tap, is thing on?

My, oh so humble, apologies for leaving for 3 weeks.  I am back, bitches!

So there are a few things I want to talk about today the first is my up and coming garden.  I would also like to touch on grandparents moving away, and finally Spring Break at my house!  I've had much going on here the last three weeks.  I've gotten a bit of blog bog...I really didn't know what one thing to write about.  It stinks for you, if you love this blog, and stinks for me because I get the guilt of not keeping you updated.

So let's start fresh...Hi!!  I'm Jeni and I am SO FREAKING excited that you are still here reading my blog about all things I love to talk about!! (yeah, I'm screaming at you). I am 35 short, spunky, mama of 3 and wife to what may be a real life Paul Bunyon for nearly 13 years.  The yin to my yang.  I am a runner (but this isn't a running blog), I garden, I can (as in veggies from my garden), I knit, I sew, and I LOVE NUTRITION (and beer).   Enough about me, let's talk about my garden.

In the beginning of March I started seedlings and my wonderfully handy, hot, husband built a greenhouse for me.

 This is a picture of my beautiful daughter, Megan planting a bulb.

I am growing lots of great things: tomato, cucumbers, squash, beets, spinach, watermelon, melon, okra, bell peppers, banana peppers, and flowers.

All my plants have been enclosed into this greenhouse, but a week ago we had a hard frost, and I lost my cucumbers and some of my watermelon.  It was sad day.  they looked beautiful, green and strong, but the frost got them even though they were in the green house.  I almost cried, but instead of crying I replanted.

These are my growing plants before the frost.

 these are my beautiful cucumbers before they died.

Now we are back in business, a little late, but still back.

So my in-laws have purchased their new home and moved to Florida.  It was a heartbreaking few days of tears and goodbyes, especially for the kids.  They are gone and their house is empty.  We've been going there often to get the house ready for their estate sale.  Depressing is the only word that can describe how the kids and I feel.  We knew it was coming, but it was still sad to see my mother in law go.  We had a little party here for her with our cousins, it was a good night with great family: 

Jake, Shane, Meg, Thea and Barney, Bill, Rory, and Pat

 Jake, Meg, Rory and Roxy

 Thea and Danny

 The Cooks: Jimmy, Krissy, and Danny

 Rory...LOL

The after party: Thea, Pat and Meg

Jake, Roar, and me.

Last week was Spring Break for our schools, so the kids were out Good Friday through the following week and went back to school Monday.  We went over to my In-Law's old house a lot and tried to get some stuff organized.  Pat took Megan and Jake to see THE LORAX and Roar and I went to see MIRROR MIRROR.  It was a super cute movie!  Julia Roberts was a great evil queen.  We baked lots of stuff and ended the week grilling out. Pat and I are getting ready for my middle child's birthday.  Jake will be 9 on April 19.  He has requested waffles and eggs for his bday bfast and ribs with baked potato for dinner.  I can't believe it.  Time really flies, when you're having fun.

And that should bring you up to date on me and mine.  Hope everyone's spring break was happy and healthy!

Cheers!!

Jeni

The Shamrock Shuffle 8k

The Shamrock Shuffle 8k (4.97 miles) in downtown Chicago was this weekend.  The Shuffle has been a race held in Chicago for 33 years.  Apparently is the "Rite of Spring", and it's also the largest 8k in held in the WORLD!  The "Rite of Spring" it was, the pollen flying through the air was so dense I sneezed nonstop.

For me it meant something a little different.  I've been looking forward to this event because 2 of my best friends from high school were coming up the city (and out of Southern Illinois) to run/cheer with me.  I've never run this race before, in fact I've only every run 5k races and half marathons-no in between races.  Because I was running with my 12 year old, Megan (this was her longest race) and my besties were coming up to run with, it made this day uber special.

Meg and me

Me, Meg, Jadae

Jadae and me on the train.

Shelley and me

Here we are at Navy Pier at a photobooth, after getting our packets.

I give so much credit to Jadae and Shelley for coming up.  They rode the Amtrak from St. Louis to get here, it took them 5 hours.  Then we took a 1.5 hr train ride to the city to pick up our packets and walked about 3 miles to get to the expo from the train station.  When we took a cab back to the station I thought Shelley would throw the cab driver out of the car and drive herself to the station cause she's just not used to the way cabbies drive downtown (she asked him if he had a valium or whisky...LOL).  Rode the train back to my house, talked a few hours, went to bed at midnight and woke up at 5 am to catch another train back to the city.  

The Race was super fun and so neat to see all the onlookers and cheerleaders in the crowd!  The run club I belong to was amazing!  We had a few finishers at 37 mins!  

Brian and Kevin they both finished in 37:02!  

By Corral.  F'NRC representing!

Corral B

Maggie, Kelly, Amanda

Corral D

Back Row: Dawn, Melissa, Kristin 

2nd: Don, April, Kathy, Amanda, Meg, Cathie, Michelle 

3rd: Julie, Jeni, Lisa

And, of course the after party!

Lisa, Cathie, April, Dawn, Kerry, and Melissa

We had such a great time, and watching Meg finish her first 5 mile run and first 8K was just the best.  Seeing my girls was awesome, even if we were riding the train more often than not.

Here are some other snapshots from the race: 

Julie and Kathy's butts :)

Jenny, Lisa, Cathie

Meg and Susan

Meg, Susan, Nicole, and Kathy

Jadae, Don, and Jeni

The moral of today's story is great friends + great times = great memories.  I'll cherish these!

CHEERS!!

Jeni

Allergies

I have these horrid allergies.  In the Spring and Fall my eyes, nose, and ears itch.  It seems like my entire head itches.  We have had the warmest March on record in Chicagoland.  It's been so beautiful here, I've even got a tan from working out the in the yard the last few weeks.  I even MOWED THE LAWN! *gasp* in March!?

So I have an albuterol inhaler which I use before my runs, usually.  I have the nasal spray, I take 2 claritin a day, but I am still miserable.  Can you imagine the hell I would be living through without these medications?  I am pretty anti-pharmaceutical, but I tell ya what....I'd be screwed without allergies meds.

I LOVE to grow things, particularly the plant variation of "things".  My darling husband built an awesome greenhouse at my request in one week and it is just FABULOUS!  Tonight he put a door on it, too!

I love this greenhouse!  I have planted Cosmos, Marigolds, cucumbers, beets, watermelon, broccoli, tomato, celery, spinach, basil, musk melon, roma tomatoes, and one other veggie I can't remember.  He is also going to put shelves in it, I've got a small shelf in there now, but when I built in shelves it will be so cool!

 SPINACH

MARIGOLDS

So what do you do for allergies, do you plant veggies or grown your own from seed?  

Happy Spring!  

CHEERS!

Jeni

Check out TTF's blog for an Aspaeris Pivot Shorts Giveaway!

These shorts sound amazing!!  I hope I win :)

I Won & Here’s a Giveaway – Aspaeris Pivot Shorts | TooTallFritz:

'via Blog this'

Nutrition...again

So who took my challenge and did something different to change their bad habits?  A few weeks ago I went and had some blood drawn to check all my "levels" hormones, iron, cholesterol, A1C, liver enzymes, etc.

I can tell you I am still overweight with a BMI of 26.4, but I'm right on that border. Normal range is 18-25, so I need to lose about 10 pounds to be considered "normal" for my height.  I weigh 136lbs and I am 5'0" inches tall.  I think that's about right.  I think I look healthiest at about 125ish.  I should say my stubby legs are solid muscle, so that should account for something, but I carry weight in my gut, and that's no-so-muscular.

Here's the un-FREAKING-believable news.  My Cholesterol went from 231 in January to a whooping 193 in February.  That is down 38 points in 40 days.  I owe it ALL to nutrition.

Have you ever heard of someone's cholesterol going down 38 points in 40 days?  That's just under 1 point a day.  Oh...and I've lost 5lbs in the last two weeks, too.  Maybe more, but I haven't weighed myself this week.

So, you know I've been juicing 5-7 days a week, and drinking shakeology everyday.  I haven't changed my workout routine at all.  I still walk/run or do turbofire every.single.day.  I've been doing my same routine for years.  walk/run/workout everyday, I rarely take a rest day, it's usually an active rest day.  The only change is my nutrition.  There's proof to what many have been saying for eons.  you can workout everyday, but if you don't change the way you eat, you're just pissing in the wind.