Bike Run Yoga

Central Market has Two Good Deals on Organic Produce

2012-01-25T11:11:00.001-06:00

I just snagged organic apples for $.99 a pound, perfect for juicing!

I also got organic celery for $1.49, which I consider a steal considering I recently paid over $3 for celery at another local organic store. Regular celery was $1.69!

It's not easy or cheap to buy organic but when you juice and eat the whole thing....organic just seems like a better idea. Otherwise I could just drink pesticides as a side drink.

I'm Running for Chocolate!

2012-01-14T12:23:00.000-06:00

Second race committed! I debated about this race, it seems fun but as I mentioned in my last post, I am feeling lazy. I had just about decided I wasn't going to run it when I saw a friend of mine post on facebook she was running. After debating it with myself, I decided to sign up for this and the Texas Half 5k a few weeks before. What better way to jump start that consistency factor than to run two races?!

It should also be noted I have signed up for the Bikram Yoga 60 Day Challenge at our studio...this is where you take 60 classes in 60 days. This counts by the way as one of the 12 events for my own Bike Run Yoga Challenge of completing 12 events in 2012. This means by mid March I will have completed 3 events! YIPEE!

Let's not get too excited, it is still just mid January, we have a long way to go...

Dabbling my feet in the running waters

2012-01-13T15:49:00.000-06:00

I finally signed up for another race! Albeit a 5k, it is still a race and it is still running...or jogging as I learned earlier last year. Whatever right, I am attempting to get back out there and see the world one mile at a time.

It's been awhile since I have been out on a run; I think my last run was on Thanksgiving day when I ran 5 miles in Austin. I've been in kind of a fitness slump and skating by on the bare minimum effort.

I was reminded yesterday by a good friend that three things are necessary for improvement. We have a theory in Bikram Yoga, perhaps this applies to lots of things....consistency, precision, intensity. In speaking to my friend I admitted I am a little lazy and I don't try hard at working out...running, yoga, biking, etc.

I did my best running when I ran with Team in Training where I was at least a little accountable to someone else for running. I even trained pretty decent for the Hotter n Hell 100 mile ride. This might have been because the fear of riding for 6 plus hours with no training was worse that slacking off. And in yoga I like group classes so I have someone telling me what to do.

Even when I had a gym membership, I never went unless my trainer was there training me and I certainly never paid attention to what she was doing as far as adjusting the machines and putting on weight. I could never do it myself...I have no idea how those machines work.

Consistency is hard. One reason so many running magazines tell you to sign up for a race is because once you do that, you kind of have to train...at least put your running shoes on and appear to have run a few miles. If you don't, you can end up like me, running a half marathon with no training and seriously messing up your hip. I don't recommend it; even months later I could barely run a 5K without my hip popping and having sever pain.

Consistency...Step One - Sign up for a race. Check! Step Two- Train! Step Three - Run Race! Step Four - Repeat!

This 5k, which I have to admit is funny to me because it is called the Texas Half 5k, is hopefully one of many. I'm going to make concerted effort to finish my own challenge, completing 12 events in 2012. Anyone with me?

2012 Bike Run Yoga Challenge is HERE!! Complete 12 Events in 12 months!

2012-01-08T10:32:00.002-06:00

Bike Run Yoga…that’s my tri is about being healthy and doing what you love. I personally am not a fan, yet, of swimming so my ideal triathlon would be one where I could Bike, Run and do Yoga. This is the fourth year of the challenge. In 2009 I completed 12 events, in 2010 I completed 16. Even though I didn't reach my goal of 24 events, I still feel I did an amazing job. It's not so much about completing 24 events as it is about getting out there and being healthy and having fun. Last year was a hard year; I didn't train well and injured my hip running a half marathon with little to no training.

Join me in this awesome personal challenge where you are sure to find out many things about yourself, perhaps the most important is that you can do anything you set your mind to. You CAN do it!

2012 Bike Run Yoga Challenge
How to enter:

1. Post a Comment on this blog post that you are committing to the challenge

2. Follow the Bike Run Yoga blog

Requirements:

Make a commitment to the challenge (this means post a comment on this blog post and tell me you are doing the challenge)
Complete 12 events (Tri, duathlon, run, ride, swim, yoga or other organized event)
Must be a finisher at the event (we use the honor system for verification)
Submit your events, email address, full name and shipping address to Bike Run Yoga no later than January 5, 2013.

What do you get?

A free Bike Run Yoga T-shirt with all your events listed on the back. The events will be listed on the back with the name of the event and the event date. It will be custom made for you and shipped to you in 4-6 weeks.

Not enough incentive?

Get paid to complete events! Buy a Bike Run Yoga T-shirt and wear it at your event. For every picture you send in with a Bike Run Yoga Shirt on and your number, Bike Run Yoga will give you $5. You must complete the Challenge to be eligible and all funds will be paid upon completion of the Challenge.

Good Luck! I hope you will join me in this awesome challenge!

Questions? click here to email me.

I'm Suppose to Eat How Many Vegetables?!

2012-01-08T08:30:00.000-06:00

I recently read online people should eat 1 pound of vegetables for every 50 pounds. At that calculation, I should eat 2 1/3 pounds of vegetables. That seems like a lot to me and I am guessing the amount of vegetables in vegetable pho isn't going to cut it. Not knowing how many I eat or how much they weigh, I decided to weight my juicing vegetables and find out.

I've been juicing since Christmas when I got a Hurom Juicer as a gift. I love it. It makes juicing so easy! Along with a $20 scale I got a Target (a throw back to another time when I was trying to eat more healthy and control portions.) I added the vegetables to the scale and was surprised by the weight. I easily piled on just over 2 pounds of veggies.

Two pounds seems to make around 16 oz of juice. The picture looks like more but the top layer is really foam, the real juice is over 16 oz. I can easily slurp down 16 oz. of juice in a few minutes.

The result of this? I have been eating at least 2-3 pounds of vegetables a day. Good for me? Sure. Haven't seen must change, though honestly I have only been juicing for a few weeks...and I haven't done much else to improve my health such as increase exercise or reduce fatty foods or vanilla lattes. But I can't find a reason eating more vegetables is BAD for me, on the contrary, I can only find things online that indicate more is better.

As a matter of fact, I think it is so good for me, and fun, I just bought a Groupon for a farmers market coop where you buy in and get fresh, organic vegetables every two weeks. You can get 30 or 50 pound bins that last two weeks. I'm starting off with the 30 bin amount. I'm pretty excited about it, I can't wait to see what I get and what makes good juice!

If you want to try the juice I made, here is a list of what I used:

4 carrots
1/2 cucumber
1/2 lemon
3-4 leaves of kale
Big handful of spinach
5-7 pieces of pineapple
3-4 large florets of broccoli

Pulp from 2 pounds of vegetables

Shortest List Ever to Maximum Productivity

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-06:00

Have you ever noticed we live by lists? Lists for work, personal growth and improvement, business strategies, etc. Everyone has steps, tricks, ways, ideas, thoughts on how the rest of us can improve our lives. This time of year in particular seems to bring out the "list" people, shelling out their advice to anyone that will listen. And listen we do.

I was struck today by how many lists I have seen in the last week or so. (I just got a Kindle Fire so I am reading a lot more articles via Pulse.) Here are just a few I saw this week and one oldie but goodie...

6 Steps to Transform Your Body, Shape Magazine

5 Tricks from a Linkin Jedi

5 Ways to Cut Customer Risk

5 Small Steps to Change Your Body Dramatically

Bombshell Hair in 4 Easy Steps

Five Ways to Drive Customer Conversions Rates in Your Store

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

In the honor of January and what I might fondly call List Month, here is my own list, Top 1 Thing to Do in 2012.

1. Do Something!

Shortest list ever!

I think it really encapsulates the essence of any good list. Want better abs, Do Something! Get off the couch and do something about it. What a way to get out of your horrible job? Do Something about it! Need to improve customer service? Do Something about it!

How to clean reusable straws

2012-01-04T08:02:00.000-06:00

My parents got me a juice for Christmas, it's a Hurom and wonderful! I have been juicing almost every day. I bought one of those insulated plastic cups with a plastic straw so I could take my juice on the go. I figured a reusable straw was better than all the disposable straws I use to use.

I was doing fine running water through the straw to clean it until I left juice in the cup for a few hours and food residue was left in the straw. When I ran water through it, nothing happened.

Bits of food left in the straw

I looked up straw brushes on Amazon but zero came up. I wondered, how do people clean these things? I did find a pastry bag brush that seemed like it might work but it was $12 for a set of 6 and I only need one so I didn't order them.

Then I went to Target to see if they had a pastry tube brush. They didn't. They had a turkey baster with a cone shaped brush that looked like it might fit in the tip of the baster...probably would fit in the straw, at $10, I declined and left.

Today it came to me. I just needed something to create a bit of friction, like a piece of fabric. Now how am I going to get a tiny piece of fabric through a straw?!

The same way you pull an inside out spaghetti strap through itself, with a long stick.(sewing trick) I started walking around the house getting my necessary props; hanger, pliers, wire cutters, fleece.

I cut the fleece about an inch thick and at least 6 inches longer than the straw. I cut the "hook" part of the coat hanger off and pulled the cardboard tube off. I was left with a reasonable straight piece of wire with a hook on it where the tube use to be. I used the pliers to straighten out the rest of the wire and cut the extra piece of the hook part off.

Straightened wire

I then cut a tiny hole in the fabric and slipped it over the hook part. I used the pliers to clamp down the hook so the fabric didn't move.

Then I tested it, and it actually fit! Snug but it fits. And snug is really what you want so it cleans the sides.

I ran the water and pulled the fabric back and forth through the straw. After several passes I pulled the metal wire and fabric all the way out and whola! A clean straw!

Here is a video of the process. Sorry for my arm covering the shot at one point, I'm not great at taking video.

Bulk Food and Paper Napkins, Dichotomy?

2012-01-03T13:37:00.002-06:00

I was in line today at Whole Foods and watched the lady in front of me as the checker beeped her items through the scanner. She had three large, bags of bulk nuts of various types. They looked like the size of soccer balls, had to have been more than a few pounds. Her total purchase consisted of a bag of sugar, organic of course, three huge bag of nuts and two packages of dinner napkins.

I was standing there impressed the lady remembered the bin codes from the bulk nuts; thinking to myself, man, she must buy a lot of nuts to remember the codes! As I was pondering this thought I glanced down and saw the dinner napkins. And odd purchase to me. Paper dinner napkins don't seem very earth friendly, which I think shoppers at Whole Foods are...for the most part, and they don't really seem to match up with the person I think would buy bulk items.

I say this because, in my opinion, people buy bulk food items for two reasons, cost and reduction of waste. Maybe people buy bulk for quality but as far as I can tell there isn't much difference in quality when it comes to Whole Foods and packaged verses bulk.

Cost. Bulk items are often less expensive both in price overall and just in the fact a person can buy just what they need. (Ah, the latter also reduces waste!)

Waste. The idea behind bulk is the manufacturer doesn't have to spend money on packaging so they pass that savings onto the customer. The customer then uses a store provided baggie or container.

Stay with me...if these in fact are the two main reasons people buy bulk, and I proport they are, it seems odd to me a person concerned with cost and waste would buy paper dinner napkins, again, basically in bulk. (She purchased two packages.) And these weren't decorative napkins for a dinner party or shower. These were plain white napkins, nice ones but still plain and paper.

If you want a cheap option, go cloth; if you want a "less waste" option, go cloth. You can buy sale napkins for less than a dollar a piece, or go to Goodwill and buy yourself last seasons perfectly good napkins some Highland Park mom discarded.

I personally don't have paper towels or paper napkins in my house. I only have the occasional random paper napkins some drive through cashier gives me; they never seem to think twice about provided a wad of napkins. I use dish towels and cloth napkins; it's what my parents always did/do and it seems to make sense. I just throw them in the washer and they get washed whenever I do laundry, which is daily since I have sweaty yoga clothes every day.

So the question is, is buying bulk items and paper napkins a dichotomy?

McDonald's Burger is Proven to be Nonfood!

2011-12-30T12:37:00.003-06:00

I wrote a blog post a few weeks ago about McDonald's and their "deal" on LivingSocial. It grossed me out how many people bought the deal. I describe their "food" as non food. It might as well be buckets of fat and other things I can't spell or describe. And yet, people still buy the stuff.

Today a friend of mine found this online and sent it to me, "Zombie cheeseburger? McDonald’s patty, bun, cheese unchanged after one year sitting on kitchen counter". Melanie Hesketh describes how she put a Mc Donald's cheeseburger on her counter a year ago and it looks the same! A YEAR!

I can put an avocado on the counter and it goes bad in a few days, bananas are even worse. I even had a loaf of bread out for a few days and mold starting growing. But not this burger. It has no mold, no fungus, no discoloring at all. Disgusting.

When people worry about their digestive systems and wonder why they have issues, think back and try and remember how many of these burgers you had in your life....they might still be in there.

McDonald's 'Deal' Today Makes Me want to Cringe

2011-12-01T19:00:00.001-06:00

I'm disgusted to know over 200,000 people bought the McDonald's Livingsocial today. This is telltale sign American's eat unhealthy. It's not food people!

In case you aren't aware, Livingsocial has a deal today where you can get 5 Big Macs and 5 large fries for $13. I saw the deal today in my email inbox and immediately hit delete.

Then later in the day I got an email from an online deal compiler site that sends me an email daily of ALL the deals in my area. This is where I saw over 178,000 people had purchased the deal. Gross.

Then, as I decided to write about it, I went to the Livingsocial site to grab the link and even more gross...now more than 200,000 people have purchased it.

If you love Mickey D's and are dying to uh, well, die from greasy, high calorie stuff they pass off as food, feel free to grab the deal , there is one day left. Click here.

Dried kale is KALEtastic!

2011-10-14T23:03:00.001-05:00


Dehydrated Kale Chips!

I made more yummy kale chips today! After they were done I think I ate an entire bunch of kale while lounging on the couch, they were so good! As I was lazing around today I thumbed through the latest issue of 'whole living.' The November issue says that kale increases sulfur levels in the colon and helps the body ward off environmental toxins. At this rate I probably won't have toxins of any kind in my body!

Kale is a new thing to me. My sister-in-law loves it and I've always nicely smiled and eyed the lettuce. Now I can't get enough of it. It started with a friend making me a fresh kale dish with toasted sunflower seeds, steamed dino kale, olive oil and braggs. Then I got a dehydrator and started seeing online how you can make kale chips. Nutritious and they help curb the urge for crunchy things.

The ones I made today are tangy and sweet. Half the batch I used honey and the other half had more lemon juice. Here is the recipe I used.

2 bunches of curly kale
olive oil
braggs
lemon juice
salt
honey

I pulled the leaves off the stem, hold the stem in one hand and slider your fingers down the stem, pulling off the leafy part. Whatever stem is left is fine.

Wash kale well.

Pull kale pieces apart into smaller pieces.

In a large bowl toss the kale pieces with the olive oil, braggs, lemon juice, salt and honey. I didn't measure the wet stuff. I just drizzled the olive oil to coat the kale well, drizzled less braggs. I squeezed a total of 3 lemons for the 2 bunches. If you wanted yours less tangy you could do 2 lemons. Salt to taste.

In half the batch I drizzled it with honey and tossed. The other half I just had the other stuff.

I have a round Nesco dehydrator, I placed the pieces on clean screens over the trays. At the top I added an empty tray because the kale was so fluffy it was hitting the top of the machine.

I started the dehydrator at 145 degrees for an hour. I then took extra trays and alternated, kale tray, empty tray, kale tray, empty tray to allow more air flow. I lowered the temperature to 115 degrees and let it go for another 3 hours. Result? Yummy kale chips!

The clean screens are so great! The first batch of kale I did stuck to the trays, I ended up with a lot of crumbled up dried kale bits. The only downside is because the clean screens have smaller holes, the air flow is not as good; thus the idea to add the empty trays in between. I think it really helped evenly dehydrate the kale and much faster.

CrossFit Fun - Class Two

2011-10-13T10:01:00.001-05:00

I went to CrossFit again today. I am doing the 6 elements class which is the basic classes you are suppose to take to learn the techniques. I bought a "deal" for the classes based on the fact that a friend of mine and I would be doing this together. Life got in the way, as it does so many times, and we found ourselves near the end of the deal period, both going out of town! I managed to come back and start just before the deal ended. As it turns out, I was lucky, I came to my first class the week they were starting a new set of 6 classes. How lucky for me. (grin)

My first class we did squats, sit ups and ring pulls. Squats were ok, I managed to get through those no problem. Sit ups?! Ugh. I hate sit ups. I got through them but the last set was a doozie. Ring pulls? These are where you hold onto rings, lean back and use your arm strength to pull yourself up, rings to your arm pits, body straight. I picked a set of rings, tested them out and thought, huh, ok, I can do this. The coach TJ quickly suggested I get a different set, "because those are too easy for you." I'm thinking, of course, that is the point! Not the point?! Fine. I moved to the harder set.

I did the workout. We timed it and we will do the same workout (can't wait) at the end of the six classes to see if we improved (I mean, to see how MUCH we improved) over the 6 classes. Goodie. As I left I could feel my deltoids screaming at me. I felt like my arms were going to melt off. That actually might have felt better than how my arms feel today.

Today I went back for the second class. Still not fully able to do everything I use to be able to do with my arms, like move them, I was skeptical at my abilities for today's class. But...I went.

The one thing I am good at are shoulder rotations, we do them as part of the warmup. We use a pvc pipe and rotate it from the front to the back over our heads. It rotates the shoulder. We do this in the advanced class for Bikram Yoga, it helps open up the shoulders for certain postures. Most people have their hands pretty far out on the pole because their shoulders are tight and that is the only way to get the bar over their head. My hands were just a little outside of my hips. Score for me! We don't actually do that in the workout though so it doesn't REALLY matter. lol

We did more squats, different kinds and rowing. More arm work, you can imagine my delight.

TJ takes us over to the bars. He explains the bars come in three different weights, 45 lbs, 25 lbs, 15 lbs. He gives the other guy a 45 lb bar, looks at me and says "Carolyn, you pick up one of those 25 lb bars."

"Uh, I think I am going to need the 15 lb bar." TJ disagrees with me. I get a 25 lb bar.

So here is our drill today. We are to row until we use up 10 calories, then do 10 squats with a press using the bar. Repeat 5 times.

At round 3, gasping for air and pointing back to the bar while staggering to the rowing machine I try and explain I think I need the 15 lb bar now. Both TJ and John, the other coach, laugh and say no...that I need to think positive. I reply, "I positively think I need the 15 lb bar!" They laugh but don't seem to agree with me. The other guy in the class is almost done with round 5.

I keep going. Are they serious? I finish round 4 and the other guy is done. Great. Now both coaches get to focus on me. Good times. I make it to the end. It wasn't pretty and I won't be getting any grace points but I finished.

This is why I had a personal trainer three times a week for more than a year at the gym. I can't and won't do it on my own. Or more accurate, I CAN do it but I don't want to. I need someone there to tell me to keep going and to push me beyond what I think I can do. This is probably why places like CrossFit are doing so well, there must be lots of people out there that feel the same way.

Needless to say, I will be back on Saturday for the third class. I can only imagine the fun things they have in store for me.

Enjoying the See Jane Run from the comfort of my home

2011-10-09T21:51:00.000-05:00

Lightening, flooding, medical and police emergencies and an ounce of good sense by the See Jane Run organizers prevented me from running my seventh half marathon. Not too upset; it was raining yesterday when I flew into Austin and it rained all night. I was hoping after looking at weather.com the rain would subside for the morning hours long enough for me to run most if not all of the race. Not so lucky. I woke up at 5:00 am to rain.

There are two things I try and follow:
1. Be early. (I have a dad who is fanatic about this.)
2. Training for a marathon or half marathon? Eh, who needs it?! I try but it rarely happens.

Be early.
This didn't work out so well for me today. The last See Jane Run email I got said, no, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, to get to the race early, by 6:00 am. As a typical rule follower and a common "be early" person, I set my alarm for 5:00 am. I left by 5:40 and was at the Mueller area, where the race started, by 5:55 am. It was near pitch black, apparently lighting is too costly. I found the right street and followed the crowd. That was a mistake. Around I went again. By the time I made it around again the street was full of cars. I waited again. As I got to the front of the line there was a poor soul standing in the rain directing people. I rolled down my window and she shouted out to me, "race has been canceled, check facebook."

Uh, ok. I try and pull it up on my phone. Between the bad lighting, water on the road making the asphalt look like the black hole and traffic, I gave up, opting for a safer option of just driving and getting home in one piece.

As a conciliation prize I treated myself to Starbucks coffee. I didn't run so it was a "skinny".

Once back in a dry place I noticed an email came in at 6:23 am stating the race had been canceled. I got on facebook and wholly cow...people were pissed! And they stayed pissed most of the day. I am sure some are still upset.

There were several comments from people voicing their disappointment about not being able to run today. Not able to run? You can't do a timed race but you certainly can run! And people did! Several people posted they were running around Town Lake (Lady Bird Johnson Lake). Others posted they ran on treadmills.

Others were upset about training all summer getting ready for the race. Not me! This is where #2 comes in. I didn't run around the lake or on a treadmill. Even in the best of scenarios I can't seem to find the time to train. The only time I ever properly trained for an event was my first marathon. I trained with Team in Training and it was the best experience. I find training on my own difficult, lack of motivation I suppose. I'd rather run and be in pain like my last half marathon where I was felt my hip pop at mile six and kept going to 13.1. My IT band was basically out of whack and I walked with a pop sound in my hip for weeks. Nothing a little yoga can't fix! LOL

One thing I did learn though from training for a marathon, you get in great shape! And you stay that way for a long time. So for all those people that feel bummed you didn't get to run, cheer up. You look awesome and are primed to run in a half marathon for at least the next month or so. Stick with the training, there are probably another handful of races this year that will be glad to test your running skills.

Then there are the medals, packets and champagne glasses. I had planned to get my packet today before the race but that didn't happen. Thankfully the See Jane Run people found a way to get those that hung around in Austin their packets and champagne glasses. I went down to the Courtyard Marriott to the designated place and waited in line, got a glass and race shirt with miscellaneous freebies. I even snagged a 2009 t-shirt they were giving away just because. I don't plan to wear it but it has a cute design on it...I see a craft project in my future.

Not a bad day; I got a shirt and commemorative glass and didn't have to run! Oh, sorry, I mean, bummer, I didn't get to run. Even worse, I didn't do Bikram Yoga either, I didn't have any yoga clothes. :(

Will I do the race next year? Eh, not sure. I suppose it depends on the discount they give us.

Attempting to Dehydrate Flax Crackers and Banana Chips

2011-09-26T21:15:00.000-05:00

I decided today was the day to try and make flax crackers in the dehydrator. I normally take my dehydrating projects to the yoga studio and watch how the staff gobble up all the goodies. They love just about everything I make. And frankly, I like the feeling it gives me to share! Not that many people like my cooking but dehydrating?! I'm pretty good at it. Well....let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I read several blogs and watched several videos on flax crackers and thought I did what they said but they aren't looking that great. They have been in for about 8 hours at 105 degrees. I turned them about about 5 hours. They seem to thick. And they don't taste that great. These seeds are still slimy.

The best thing about botched dehydrating projects is the compost pile becomes very happy. Wallet, not so much.

It did dawn on me today why maybe my last 2 batches of banana chips haven't turned out that great. I realized today my first batch I had cut early in the day and put in the refrigerator while I was waiting for another batch of things to finish. I put the cold trays on the dehydrator and turned it on. The batch came out with nice looking banana chips. The last two I had just cut and put in the dehydrator and they came out sunken, dark and soft in the middle.

Now I have two trays of bananas in the refrigerator waiting for the flax crackers to finish. I may have to throw in the towel on the crackers if they aren't done soon...bananas are waiting....

Do you remember where you were on this day 10 years ago?

2011-09-11T10:35:00.001-05:00

I do. I was driving my car to a condo association in Austin, about to do a property inspection. The news came on of the first tower being hit. It was unreal. I really couldn't even believe what I was hearing. It was so bizarre to me I didn't even really believe the news.

By the time I got back to the office, the other tower was hit and they had the news going in the conference room. I thought about if I knew anyone in NY; my cousin lives there but it seemed unlikely he would be in the trade center. I called my parents to check, he was fine.

I actually had worked at the World Trade Center once in 1994 when I was in NY for an internship.

I've been to ground zero several times and always stare in amazement at the whole in the ground. Sometimes I stand in the middle of the street and try and imagine how overwhelming it must have been to see clouds of smoke blowing through the streets.

The most horrific tragedy to happen to America. My heart goes out to all the people that lost loved ones that day.

I won a trophy at the Summer Bath 5K run at White Rock Lake!

2011-08-07T10:42:00.000-05:00

Toda's run was great! Weather in Dallas has been over 100 for more than 30 days but the start of the 5k was early so the temperature was nice. The start was a little weird, we had D tags but there was no start strip to run across. We debated inching our way to the front but as we were contemplating it, the race started, and we were off and running.

Some were running, I was mostly jogging. Is there a difference? Apparently yes. I looked it up. According to this website, jogging is more leisurely and less impact to the joints. Running is defined as a pace that means you run a mile in less than 8 minutes. Are you serious?! I have friends that run that fast. I tried it one time on a treadmill. I looked like those cartoon characters that have a million legs drawn. Maintaining that pace would be a joke. I might have to change the name of this blog to Bike Jog Yoga.

This race I jogged for sure. Good news is I jogged the entire time and didn't stop, even to get a drink of water. Nearly choked myself to death drinking and jogging but I didn't walk!

I felt my pace was good, as I was running I felt pleased with myself for going to yoga 5-6 times a week for the last few weeks. It really seemed to help my breathing and my ability to stay calm and continue to run rather than having to walk. I never felt my heart rate jump up where I felt overwhelmed. Even the hot temperatures didn't bother me.

My overall time was pretty average for me, 36:21 according to my watch, 11:41 pace. Definitely a jogging pace!

The friends I was with run much faster than me (and they really run) and they almost always win an award at the 5K races we run. So we waited for the award announcements and I took pictures of everyone getting their award. Then I hear the announcer say something about a winner in my age group at 39 minutes and something seconds. I thought to myself, wow, I was faster than that, am I getting one too? And just as I finished that thought, he announced my name! Can you believe it?! I got a trophy! I was so shocked.

I've never won an award at a race before. Definitely something to blog about and scrapbook. I am going to find a prominent place in my house for the trophy.

And no one needs to know there were 6 minutes between me and the person ahead of me in my age group. I was SO close to her! LOL And no one needs to know there were 5 awards given and probably only 5 ladies in my age group. Who cares, I got a trophy!

Crofton Food Dehydrator makes great snacks for cheap!

2011-07-31T13:15:00.000-05:00

New Dehydrator!

I'm always up for a good deal, often I will buy something just because it IS a good deal, not because I need it. Case in point, Aldi, a discount grocery store, had a Crofton Food Dehydrator on sale for $20. My sister-in-law has an Excalibur Dehydrator and loves it but I remember it being quite expensive. Twenty bucks seems more in my price range.

I searched online for this brand of dehydrator with little luck. I found one forum where someone was interested in purchasing this same dehydrator but no one seemed to have much information on it. I took a chance and bought it anyway.

I bought apples and strawberries to dehydrate first.

Apples from Aldi

I peeled some of the apples and left some with the skin on to see which I liked better. Peeling was obviously more hassle but I think it produces a better product. I also don't own one of those cool apple cores so I just cut out the centers...again, quite time consuming. (I'll buy a corer and a huller now that I now how to dehydrate.)

After I cut the apples, I soaked them in a lemon juice and water mixture to help keep them from browning. I'm not sure this was necessary, I read several sites and some said to do this, some said not to.

Apples soaking in lemon juice

After I soaked the apples I placed them in the dehydrator and moved onto the strawberries. I cut up the strawberries, long and then in circles, again, to see what I liked. I think the circles work better.

I soaked the strawberries, drained them then added spoon full of sugar and mixed. Then I placed them on a tray.

I stacked the trays back on the base and plugged it in. There is no on or off switch on this dehydrator, it is a pretty basic model. One of the many downsides to a cheap version. Another was the short cord...it only is about a foot long which means I have to set in on the counter and basically leave it there.


Strawberries soaking in lemon juice

After I had them all on the base, I adjusted the top vent thing to #2 per the instructions. I also read I needed to rotate and turn the trays every few hours. To make this easier, I marked each tray with a sharpie in four spots, basically at noon, 3:00, 6:00 and 9:00. At noon I wrote the tray number on each tray.(see top picture) At the other stops I put hash marks, first one, then two, then tree to help me line up the trays and know where I was in the rotation and turning.

I wrote down on a piece of paper when I rotated and turned the trays; the instructions said to do this every few hours.

Single hash mark, one turn of trays

The apples and strawberries were both in about 12 hours. That is a little longer than the instructions said for strawberries but at midnight I decided I needed to go to bed. I put the strawberries on top, farthest away from the heating element, and opened up the vent to 4 to let out the most heat and went to bed.

I woke up today to dehydrated strawberries and apples!

I took the trays off the dehydrator base and set them aside. I have a raised cooling rack and I put the trays on top of the rack to help cool the trays from the top and the bottom.

The strawberries were a little stuck to the tray so I carefully peeled them up. Some of the strawberries were thick and still moist so I put the dried ones on a tray with the apples and put the other moist ones back in the dehydrator.

Strawberries and apples cooling


Apple trays cooling

After they cooled I put the pieces in plastic containers to "condition" the fruit so the moisture was more evenly distributed throughout. I read on a site to condition the fruit for 7 - 10 days by sealing the containers to help distribute the remaining moisture.

Fruit being "conditioned"

Wholla! Dehydrated fruit! A healthy snack I made myself! I can't wait to dig in.

Why I love the people at work; they make me laugh everyday.

2011-07-24T21:12:00.001-05:00

The people I work with at the studio are so funny, sometimes my sides hurt when I leave and not from Half Moon Pose. Today was no different.

I took class, no big new there. Afterwards I stayed up there answering some work email and here was the exchange between Sally and me....

Me: "Wow Sally, I think I might have to get Ginger Thai."
Sally: "What?!"

Me: "I think I might get Ginger Thai."
Sally: Very odd look. "You are getting Ginger Thai?"

Me: "What? Yes."
Sally: "Why are you getting Thai for your cat?"

Me: "What?" At this point I am laughing hysterically and can barely speak.
Sally: "What?" As if to imply "What did I say that is so funny? You are the one getting your cat Thai food." At this point Sally is laughing too.

Me: "Ginger Thai Sally, the restaurant across the street!"
Sally: "Oh! I've never heard of that place."
We are both still laughing uncontrollably.

Me: "It's right across the street. Ginger Thai!" I point across the street...still laughing.
Sally: "Oh, I want some Thai!"

We order delivery and wait.

I decide to take a shower (to use my time efficiently.)

While in the shower I think about Sally and the Thai food exchange and how it would make for a funny blog post and as I recount it to myself I start laughing uncontrollably. Even now as I write I can't stop laughing.

For those of you that don't understand, my cat's name is Ginger. She never eats Thai. LMAO

I love being a pack-rat

2011-07-23T10:12:00.000-05:00

I'm cleaning and scanning paperwork today; trying to declutter. I found not one but two gift cards to Pappas in a stack of old credit cards and frequent buyer cards. Most of the stuff I threw away but I saved three things, these two gift cards and my Vitamin Shoppe card. (I recently went there and could have saved a few bucks but my card wasn't registered so they couldn't look me up.)

I registered my Vitamin Shoppe card and set it aside. Then I decided I would go online and see if Pappas has a balance look up option for their gift cards. The cards say to call a 1800 number but they are also more than 3 years old so I was hoping a new feature might be on the website.

I went to the Pappas website and found the gift card section and found out two great pieces of information. One, the cards do not expire. Two, there are no fees. My assumption then is the tiny print on the card that says they take out $2.50 each year it is not used is not correct and the full value is still on the each card.

Score! Each card is worth $25 so that is $50 I can use to go out to eat!

I'm not sure why I never used the cards, I love to go out to eat and I actually went to Pappasita's a few weeks ago and could have used these gift cards there!

What a nice find in a stack of useless paper and junk I could have just thrown away! Sometimes it does pay to be a pack-rat.

It's way to hot here in Dallas to run outside

2011-07-15T10:41:00.000-05:00

It's way to hot here in Dallas to run outside, only crazy people would run when its over 100 degrees outside. Perhaps that's why running the Too Hot to Handle seemed appropriate; I'm a little crazy.

If I were a "good" blogger, I would have blogged about this race last weekend after the race happened. Instead I had to go into work right after the race and somehow let the whole week slip away without posting any of my thoughts on the race. Oh well, here it goes....

I saw a race page on facebook a few days after the race, they were asking for comments on the event. Most of the comments were the same; loved the race, was stinkin' hot, LOVED the ice towels at the end... I basically had the same comments with the added one that not getting my race shirt after going to Run On three times was a bit annoying.

I ran this race in 2009, the 15k, and loved the fact that it was along White Rock, close to home. This year I ran the 5K, I know, I'm a wimp. This year was even better, even closer to my house! I walked to the race down my normal run route, it was perfect.

Definitely hot, I was sweating before I even started running. The run was nice just a few hills, mostly flat the rest of the way and a lot of it was in the shade. Bonus! I sprinted in nearly dying, to find my friends waiting for me, water in hand! Not far from them was a bucket full of iced down towels, omg, so nice!

If this race is in the same spot next year, I am definitely putting it on my list!

Chris is like Nicolas Cage in City of Angels

Doug, Kelly and Chris (taken from a better angle!)

Bike Run Yoga Zumba?! My first Zumba class

2011-07-09T15:08:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting to expand my fitness activity and have noticed a lot of great deals on sites like Groupon for Zumba, rock climbing, cross fit and other fun looking stuff. I bought several deals recently and tried my first Zumba class this week.

I've seen the infomercials on Zumba and they always look like they are having so much fun! A friend of mine and I went together earlier this week for our first class. The guy at the front desk told another student there the instructor for the class "was tough." I thought to myself...this is not a good sign, shouldn't they give us the easy instructor first?

The class proved my theory, I am uncoordinated. It was so hard to see the instructor, wait for my brain to process the step and then wait for the appropriate body part to move the right way.

Each song seemed to be about 5-8 minutes and each had different moves, all quick and all requiring coordination with hips, legs and arms. After the first song I was sweating pretty hard and looked at the clock. "Fifty-five more minutes of this? Wholly cow!"

It was 60 minutes of fast paced sweaty fun. Not as much sweat as Bikram yoga but it was still a workout.

Everytime the instructor said "now you got it" I felt she was talking to me....and I would immediately lose the beat. Lol.

I'm definitely going back...

Shopping at Monument Cafe/Market

2011-06-19T11:15:00.001-05:00

Wait and Monument Cafe was less boring with the ability to walk through the garden and market. Mom and dad bought locally made honey, popcorn and waffle mix. If you're in Georgetown, Texas, go by and check it out!

We Lit Up Plano at the Firefly Run

2011-06-05T11:19:00.000-05:00

Doug, Kelly, Carolyn, Jessica, Joe
Firefly 2011

Firefly 5K in Plano yesterday was a bit of a cluster. I found out about the event the last day of registration and was only able to pick up my packet on race day. So there I am at home, piddling around trying to decide when to leave to travel ALL THE WAY to Plano, which is practically a day trip for me. (I stick close to home.) I get there with almost an hour and a half before the race starts. I find parking, walk over and see the "Packet Pick Up" tents. But wait, there is a line....instead of walking to the right, where the tents are, I walk to the left to get to the end of the line. And I keep walking and walking and walking. The line is wrapped AROUND the circle parking lot. So now I am at, say 6 o'clock and the tents are at 10 o'clock.

This is the back on the line when I got there.
Ironic but I also ran behind this "Crush 2008" guy the entire race.

About 40 minutes in we get up to the front and there is a single lady with a list of names, we have to get our bib number from her then get our packet. A cluster.

Not there yet but close!

Race started like a typical race, a mob of people trying to run and really only able to lift their legs up as IF to run but mostly just standing in place because the baby stroller person and determined walker are right in front. The mob of people lasted almost the entire run.

Before I had even made it to the half mile point there were runners coming back down the street, a police officer on a motorcycle was shouting to stay to the right, squeezing the mob even closer together. My first thought was wholly crap, is the front runner almost done before I get to the half mile point? I immediately felt inadequate. Then I realized there was a turn around in the middle of the street, we had only gone about 3/4 of a mile.

The course was interesting, two u-turns and one water station. I heard there was no water at the same station when the 10K people wrapped back around the course, that sucks even more. With the humidity and heat, plus it being a "family" event, I would have thought more water stations would be available. Granted in a 5k for someone that runs them a lot, one is probably sufficient and if you are well hydrated maybe you don't need any water, but this was a hot humid night, lots of sweating...and by the looks of the results, many people were either not seasoned 5k runners or they were walkers, all that probably could have used more water.

Oddly tall guy in REALLY short shorts.

Then at the end they had a NARROW finish line and no one was moving. So I crossed and got immediately stuck in a mob of people that were not or couldn't more forward. Another cluster. I usually sprint to the end so when I am done, I need room to breathe...and I need some stinkin water. Neither was available. Instant panic and an extreme out of control need to get away from everyone over came me. As gently as I could, I pushed people out of my way as fast as I could and ran to a part of the parking area that had no one. Air! Breathe...

I walked around to catch my breath and cool down. I eventually found water. Apparently there was a line for water, I couldn't see it, all I saw was a mob of people. There was a lady trying to give people water but no one was paying attention to her. She mumbled under her breathe, "fine, you can wait in line then." Water? No line? Sure...I'll take some of that. She seemed only mildly pleased I took her water.

I was disappointed in myself after the run, I walked way more than I wanted or should have. I was scolding myself a little over not having run more days before the race. And my overall cardio ability seems to have deteriorated. I realize running in the heat and humidity is different but I feel like my yoga should have helped me manage my breathe and mind better. Plus, I'm still having the same hip issue from when I ran the Dallas Rock n Roll half with no training. Even a 5k makes it pop, not a good sign.

Today though I am a little more pleased. I finished in 36:21 which is a decent pace for me. It isn't my best time but certainly not my worst. I finished 122nd in my age group, out of 277 so I was in the upper half, which I consider doing well. It is a far cry from 3rd in an age group which three of the other people I was with accomplished but they run more and are way more dedicated to their time than I am. I finished. I didn't die. I got the t-shirt. Enough said.

Overall, I would rate this race as a 1 or 2 on a scale of 1 to 10. Probably won't do it again. But nothing personal, there are plenty of races I only do once. Best thing was the armbands they gave us that light up, they blink or stay on all the time. I think my nieces will love these.

It looks like it was only the second year in Dallas and the first year was very small so probably in a few years they will have worked out the kinks and a better experience will be had by runners and volunteers.

Yoga Alleviates Cancer Side Effects

2011-05-31T08:54:00.000-05:00

Yoga has quickly become one of the most popular ways to exercise in the last ten years. Its ability to allow people to mix meditation with physical workouts has made it a popular option instead of the gym. Patients with terminal illnesses and cancer have begun taking on yoga as a complementary treatment therapy to help alleviate the side effects of traditional therapy.

Perhaps the biggest reason yoga has grown in popularity within the medical community is because of its ability to mix both the benefits within the physical and mental aspects of the body. Another reason it has become so popular is because it can be used at different times and in different ways. Patients can participate in yoga sessions based on their own treatment schedule. They can choose to take part in daily sessions that are short or long sessions once a week.

Many of the benefits of using yoga are often tied to physical aspects of the body and with terminal illness patients, these can be no different. Many patients, such as those with arthritis use yoga as a way to alleviate the pain and stress on the body. Of course they can also use yoga as a way to improve the range of motion and flexibility of the body, because arthritis patients deal with some great pain and limited motion.

From a mental aspect, yoga can be unbelievably beneficial when used as a complementary therapy option. Many patients have used yoga as a way to shut off the mind during tough times. A great example of this is mesothelioma (a cancer in the lungs caused by asbestos exposure) patients, who have a severely shortened life expectancy rate. Many of these patients use yoga as a type of meditation and peace of mind during a time of extreme difficulty and fear.

Yoga’s ability to mix mind related benefits like tranquility and peace of mind with physical benefits like improved range of motion will continue to make it a popular option with terminally illness patients in the future. Expect yoga to grow even more as continued research shows even more benefits of its use in the scientific and medical community.

Guest Blogger: Krista

Krista Peterson is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer. As a health and safety advocate, she shares a strong passion for the wellness of others in her community. Krista has been practicing yoga for 3 years and loves to encourage others to do so as well. Through her writings, she helps to spread awareness of such issues as cancer and chronic illness.

Today Must be Ball Day

2011-05-28T09:51:00.000-05:00

Homemade dryer balls

Today must be ball day. I wrote a post today on my other blog, comfycrafter.com, about making homemade dryer balls. These are great, inexpensive to make and good for the environment. Read about it here.

Then I go to Groupon and there is a deal to buy USED golf balls. Really?! You can buy someones balls?! LMAO

It's true, KnetGolf.com has a deal today where you can buy another persons balls.
$20 for $40 of Golf Balls