Kickboxing revisited

As the view out the back door of the room bobbed in and out of my line of sight I thought to myself what awesome golden light, I wish I had my camera with me.  Then the pang of pain in my ankle reminded me where I was, kickboxing class, and that I had forgotten to wear my ankle brace.  I’m trying this out again through continuing education because it’s one of the perks of my job I get to take classes for free.  I remember the first time I went to this class I thought I was in the wrong place as I walked up the dark stairs in the metallic tunnel.  But when I got to the top there was a mix of young children, older men and women and people who you could tell were obviously fighters by the drastically louder sounds that came when they hit the bag.  The person running this place was a fighter himself and now runs this in order to allow some of the less fortunate people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford classes to participate. 

He keeps the gym hot to make you sweat more and yells at you if you aren’t doing your push-ups in between rounds but will take the time to stop and show you correct form or tell you good job!  The hour long workouts consist of changing stations at each round 1:30 minutes of normal work on the station :30 secs of extra fast then :30 secs for sit ups or pushups.  The stations consist of different style bags for kicking and punching and weights and a tire you jump on or you might be in the ring hitting someone wearing protective gear while they tap you in the stomach to remind you to hold your abs tight.  What an awesome workout!  Muscles are sore that I never remember even having.  I’m considering once this class is over joining for a few months and going more than just the 1x per week.  That would get me back into shape for sure.

Saw the nutritionist yesterday and got some good pointers and was surprised by the amount of calories she said I could consume and still lose weight.  I will lose it slower but by not starving myself the weight I do lose won’t come back on as easily.  So she took my height, age, weight and set the activity level to almost completely sedentary then once you have those calories (basically just what you need to survive) and add on any calories you burn during a workout.  So if I need 1650 calories a day and my heart rate monitor tells me I burned 450 calories during my workout that day then I can consume 2,100 calories that day and still be on track to lose ½ pound per week.  Once I reach my goal weight I can consume 1840 calories plus the amount I’ve burned in my workout.  So this calmed me down a little and I am completely confident I can fit into my full wardrobe again in a couple of months.  Yay! 

Weeds & Such

Which do you prescribe to?  Do you tackle the small weeds as soon as you see one pop up, better get ‘em now before it gets out of control, or do you wait until it becomes noticeable and get them all at once?  Is there a time benefit to this?  I’ve attempted both and am not sure which is best.  Same goes for house chores or paperwork.  I want to enjoy life so I usually let it go so I can have some fun and be active but then the day comes where I can’t ignore it anymore and it takes me an entire weekend to catch up.  You may think well this would be easier if I had someone to share in the work, no, then you just have someone else to share the blame with when it doesn’t get done and to enjoy in the guilty pleasure of ignoring it.  It makes me wonder what happens once people have kids, how do you fit in the fun stuff plus chores plus raising a child?  Ahhhhhhh!!   I’m not going to think about that one until I’m forced to.

This last weekend I spent the whole time making sure I got my workouts in, finishing the preparation for my best friends bachelorette party and wedding trip (last one I am participating in only my best friend is worth that kind of dedication to construction paper and painting mini buckets) and my laundry didn’t get done or the kitchen cleaned or the carpets vacuumed.  I just can’t decide if it’s worth the worry I’m still going to call it a productive and well spent weekend.  It would be so exhausting to try and be Molly homemaker while trying to stay in shape, be social and nice, adventurous, educated, well read, up to date on movies and anyone who does must not get any sleep or get to let their hair down.  So if anyone wants to ask what’s for dinner or that it should be easy to keep the house perfect they can officially kiss my @!#$%*!  Or at least not expect me to have a smile on my face by the end of the day.

So far I’ve managed to keep upping my workouts for 2 weeks!  This last week went as follows:

M – 5 mile hill run

T – 1 hour kickboxing class (the real deal)

W – day off

Th – 1 hr Spin Class

Fri – Weights and running

Sat – 4 mile run

Sun – 27 mile bike ride

I was very proud of myself until stepping on the scale this morning and seeing that I gained 2 pounds instead of losing or maintaining!  I have an appointment with a dietician next week and have kept a food diary.  We’ll see what she says and I’ve made it very clear this session is not to discuss my vegetarian ways but my theories on calories in vs. calories out and why it’s not working… I’ll keep you posted…

Couscous Tacos

Quick and easy for those days you need something without much prep.  Again, one of those recipes that everyone enjoys, the meat eaters don't ask where's the beef they say this is good and forget it's vegetarian.

Sautee 1/2 chopped onion and 2 cloves garlic with olive oil to taste
Add 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with green chile (or fresh if you have the time)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup couscous (whole wheat is healthier)
If you feel the need you can add 1/2 package tofu cubed (I actually prefer this recipe without it)
Spices: cumin, chile pepper, chipotle, salt, pepper to taste
Bring to a boil then let sit after you turn it off for about 5 - 10 minutes

Remember the left over corn tortillas that you probably have if you made the enchiladas you can just fry those and use them as taco shells.

Garnish with chopped lettuce, tomatoe, fresh cilantro, cheese (vegan or not).  And the big hit is usually home made guacamole.  Add lime to taste...

Renewed Entusiasm

A few things have happened in the last few months that have made me renew my enthusiasm towards sports and specifically triathlons.  I did a four mile obstacle course run over the weekend with ankle brace and all.  It was handicap run which means they start you based on your normal 5k time and everyone should roughly finish around the same time.  I finished LAST even with the help from the handicapped times and I was so exhausted!  I had a blast reconnecting with fellow runners and the endorphin rush was making me feel invincible.  I realized although my ankle is still sore and sometimes swells the worst is over with the sprain.  NO more EXCUSES! 

I have also noticed over the last month or so that my pants selection is getting smaller and smaller only because my waist is getting bigger and bigger!  Arrg!  I refuse to spend money on a new wardrobe to fit this expanding waste line.  I realized I have now gone 2 triathlon seasons since my Ironman without officially announcing my own return.  I keep having excuses why not this season, there was being sick, head injury at the end of ski season, sprained ankle I could go on and on!  But I have to shake myself a little and jump back on.  I may not be fast but I have the mental endurance to make it through tough distances.  I realized the goal of having a race that I signed up for is necessary to keep me in check.  I love cooking and eating what I cook and never had a wardrobe malfunction due to how active I've always been. 

Well, the metabolism hit a wall and I am in serious need of a mind, body and soul jump start!  I sleep better, like people and find joy in the little things in life more often when I am pushing my body to its limits.  So it is official I am announcing to myself it is TIME!  My first triathlon of next season will be February and ski season will not be an off season I will be skiing as well as training up to be ready for triathlon season.  I am excited and rejuvenated.  I kick this off with a 5 mile run with a killer hill after work so here I come!  Next will be dusting the cobwebs off my favorite bike and enter a fun Halloween ride.  See you on the road.... (please don't run me over)

Green Chile Enchiladas

I have now made this recipe several different ways and it seems each time I try something new I perfect it a little more, so maybe you can add your twist.  BTW when I make the vegan version of this there have never been any complaints from the "meat eaters" in my life.

Green Chile Sauce
1 White onion
3-4 cloves garlic
1 can condensed cream of mushroom (vegan portobella version of this is yummy)
About 1 can Vegetable broth (depending on how thick you like it)
3-6 tomatoes diced
Cumin, Salt, Pepper, Chile Powder (to taste)
Fresh roasted green chile (as much as you can handle)

Sautee the 1st two ingredients with some olive oil until onions are clear but not brown.  Throw the rest in bring to a boil then let simmer for about 20 minutes.

Then in a glass pan start with a layer of sauce, add layer of corn tortillas, add layer of cheese (vegan or not a yellow variety is usually used).  Keep alternating these layers until last layer has both sauce and cheese.  Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I usually make a quick rice cooked with cilantro and add lime to it after cooked.

I'll post a picture if it's not all gone by the time I get home!

September's Something New: Photography

Shadow

Lines/Shadows

Trying to keep myself engaged and interested in life in general has always been what keeps me going.  The more I try new hobbies the more likely I am to stay at a stable job.  As soon as the wheels stop turning in my personal life I find I get antsy in my current job and fill my head with grandiose ideas of my next career move.  So this month my something new is photography.  Receiving a digital camera as a gift was intimidating considering I have two parents that are photographers.  Some advise I've received is don't show any shots to my parents as they will critique as if I'm an actual photographer and photography is extremely subjective.  I will soon post some homework shots on here being that I am also new to blogging so please be patient.  Class #3 is on Wed. and I will have to play catch up on homework so I will have double the pictures to post after this weekend.

backlighting