Last Week Recap: Practice What I Preach

Practice What I Preach

More than that, I’m very happy to report that I’m already making moves on my 2014 Resolutions. Here’s what I’ve been working on thus far:

Increase Frequency of Hip Strengthening and Balancing Exercises

I’ve been working on the hips every couple of days, usually in the morning but sometimes after work. When I’m in the gym, I hold the exercise ball in my arms and lean forward while standing on one leg to work on balance. I’ve really regressed since PT, so I have to bump it up!

Get More Involved with Black Girls Run

I’m a member of the Philly Chapter’s Facebook group, and I’m always creeping/following what’s going on. But I’m really excited because I’ve signed up for my first Nike+ Challenge, to run 150 miles in 90 days! Will I reach my goal? I have no idea. But we’ll see how close I can get! Plus it will encourage me to use the Nike+ GPS watch and run outdoors, since I can’t enter anything manually with its software.

Workout More With My Boyfriend

Bret and I ran together last Saturday, in 20 degree weather full of snow and ice. The trail was plowed the best they could, but getting to the trail was an adventure in itself! I have to admit I was pretty grumpy, especially since we had to run single file most of the time and you can guess who was always in the back. The cold actually didn’t bother me (I warm up quickly)…it was worrying that I was going to slip and hurt my foot again! Plus, due to performance anxiety, running with my boyfriend is always stressful. Run with no regrets?

Start Prepping Meals for the Week

It’s on! Last week I Googled a template to use for weekly meal planning, and on Sunday, B and I filled it out. It was actually pretty difficult doing it the first time. We decided which days each of us would cook. I’ve got Tuesday and Thursday this week. I’m only focused on dinner for us since I’m already really good about breakfast and lunch during the week. Planning ahead is HUGE for me because now I’m not stressing about what to eat when I get home, I’ve already got it down! I’ve been told that I’m quite inflexible…but I am all about flexibility with this plan. Having just this simple template for our first week is a big accomplishment!

Weekly Meal Planning!

I also made my first slow cooker meal on Friday, thanks to the great recipe from Amanda at Eat Hard Work Hard! I’m so proud of myself! I took 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cleaned them and put them in slow cooker, added some of my new spices from my spike rack (I chose some italian spices and marjoram–whatever that is), covered it with organic vegetable broth, and cooked on low heat for about 7 hours. Then I simply shredded the chicken with a fork. It was so tender and delicious! We had leftovers up until this morning. It was a great sandwich for lunch and also tasted great with spinach salad. Thanks so much for the inspiration, Amanda!

Don’t Worry What Others Think of Me

While I was running on Saturday, I said “good morning” to just about every person I passed. Can you guess how many said it back? Zero. One person nodded, one smiled, and the rest pretended they were too “in the zone” to follow simple etiquette. Like Stephanie Tanner would say, “How rude!” This really bugged me…normally with that much rejection I would have given up. But I didn’t; I kept saying hello even though I felt stupid for trying to be nice. I know I was doing the right thing. Has this ever happened to you?

Workouts

Tuesday 12/31: Boot Camp was canceled, so I just did a lunchtime run with 1.55 miles on the treadmill at a much quicker pace. Felt pretty good.

Thursday 1/2: Hip strengthening first thing in the morning. I felt extremely guilty because I was too hungover tired to work out on New Year’s Day. Also had Boot Camp Class, which was unlike our usual set up and involved doing repeated rotations of 20 light reps on the weight machines working biceps, triceps, quads, hamstrings, chest and abs. I did a little elliptical work and exercise bike work too, about a mile each.

Friday 1/3: I may have just done a little hip work.

Saturday 1/4: 3.95 miles out in the frigid cold with B and the Nike+ watch. I wish I took pictures…we saw people cross country skiing and kids sledding down snow covered hills! Both knees felt crummy, and I foam rolled once I got home.

Unfortunately now my knees are feeling worse. They felt TERRIBLE over the weekend, but thankfully I’ve passed that storm. I’m now convinced that I did something to my left knee during Boot Camp….most likely some botched squats. I hate having the reputation of being injury-prone…ugh, why me?

How was your week of fitness? Are you carrying out on your New Year’s Resolutions? Do you have any recommendations for dealing with knee pain besides taking painkillers? Leave a comment!

(25) comments

Add Your Reply