PRT Progress Report

So all my months of lackluster training compounded by illness certainly set me back in regards to my PRT training. (I wrote about my Physical Readiness Training Challenge (PRT) here).   I am not giving up by any means but I am going to have to work very hard to hit my goals.  They are ambitious goals for someone who needs to drop about 60 pounds, but I do believe they are reachable.  I will push hard until my July 31 deadline and then I will know if I need to push the deadline out few months.  It's the way of the warrior, right? Seven times down,  8 times up.

Today, I ran a half mile in 8.25.  It gets worse as I go farther.  I need to go 38% faster. That is a lot faster. Today I ate breakfast too close to my workout. I'm sure that did not help! I'm not sure if I can run that much faster but I am working toward that perfection in the half mile. Hence forth, I will finish running my goal distance later in my workout at an easier speed for me. Once I get my half-mile time under control, I'll step up to 3/4 mile.

I am up to 3 sets of 10 high incline wall push-ups. Tomorrow I graduate to the arm of the sofa. It's an intimidating prospect because last time I tried it I could not -- do -- it--at -- all.

My goal for my curl-ups was 17 by now, but I can do 12. I am happy to celebrate that progress because imagine my shock (and disgust) when I started all this and realized I could not do any of them in the way the Navy prescribes.

Finally, the swimming. I can fairly easily swim half the distance required but I have not had anyone officially time me. That's "on the list" for next week.  The younger children have been really good about entertaining themselves in the shallow end while I swim my laps which has made this less painful then I thought it would be. Next week I'll be ready for a time check.

So how about you? Are you PRT ready?  

PRT Warrior Throw-Down: Half Dead in Texas

 I had my second PRT Warrior training today. Have you started training yet?

I managed to run the whole mile and a half. You are waiting for the "but" right? Yes I ran the whole mile and a half but it took 27 minutes. Oh goodness that is way too much. By way of explanation, I am having some weird heart issues: I am throwing pvcs almost constantly and alternating between (harmless BTW) bradycardia and tachycardia. It plays havoc with my heart monitor so I am not really able to monitor my heart rate much at all. Apparently I really got my heart rate up though because my family kept commenting on my very red face. On several occasions I wondered if I am fighting the fat or the fat is fighting me . . . and winning!

All of that is to say I "got 'er done" people. I did. I did my 2 minutes of sofa back push-ups. I'm going to work up to 20 reps then graduate to sofa arm push-ups. The curl-ups almost did me in, my abs are so sore from Thursday. I got them done but there was a lot of moaning and complaining involved. Thank goodness for my sweet Sunshine who held my feet!

I'm capping off the evening's work with the movie, Rocky. Nothing like a few raw eggs and flights of stairs to brace you for the fight.  Hibernate the computer and get to work now, people. Fight the good fight. You got this!

Shoes and The Old Ways: It's Fit Friday - Tips Tricks and Inspiration!

Hello Co-Warriors!

If you haven't already, please take a minute to read my PRT throw-down challenge posted yesterday. I am looking for some Warriors to join me in this fitness challenge that will finish up on July 31.

Find your "Sole-Mate"

How long has it been since you replaced your exercise shoes?  If your feet, ankles or knees are troubling you more than they used to, turn those shoes over and take a look.  Most running shoes will last about 500 miles as a benchmark. For some tips on determining if your shoes are worn out, I found this article by Mizuna helpful. If you aren't sure what to look for in a shoe, check out these tips by SparkPeople (How to Find Your Sole Mate!). I have already chosen my new shoes and will be hunting them down this weekend.

Good News for Mediterranean Diet Followers

We all know there is no magic to losing weight but some eating plans do seem to do the trick better than others. The Mediterranean diet is rich in fish, nuts, vegetable and fruits, as well as healthy oils. Web MD reported recently on yet another study that shows how helpful this traditional diet truly is. Our family is definitely moving closer to this way of eating but fish is still hard for me to incorporate. Lent is a good springboard for us as we eat fish every Friday and I think I will have a goal of moving to twice-a-week fish beginning Easter. Sometimes the old ways are the best!

Speaking of the Old Ways . . .

I found a very interesting to site for inspiration this week. It's called Old Ways.  Their mission is to "guide people to health through the old ways." This just suits me! It's a combination of "back to basics" and new spins on old favorites. My philosophy is to keep refining my eating and to allow myself to be inspired by other ways of improving health. This site had some wonderful recipes and help on two fronts: 1) Making clear the Mediterranean way of eating and, (2) African Heritage Health forums and recipes. Both of these are well suited to my family so we have several of these recipes and practices coming soon to our table. Have a look at for yourself and let me know your thoughts.

That's all for today folks! Have a fit Friday and a Work-Out (or Work-Outside!) Weekend.

Fall Friday Tips, Tricks, and Inspiration plus a Challenge

It's fab Friday! Time for some tips, tricks and inspiration, plus a challenge.

Here's a tip: Don't Instagram your food if you want to fully savor it. In an interesting study on satiety, researchers see a link between a loss of enjoyment and Instagramming photos of food. I take a lot of photos of food to use in my "Menu Plan Monday" posts and also in my recipe file, so this study made me sit up and take notice. Now to be sure, it's a "first world problem." Nonetheless, as a weight watcher, enjoying my food is part of what keeps me on plan, so maybe I will cut back on that food photography!

Have you ever tried veggie noodles?  This is a simple trick to get more veggies, fiber and vitamins into your diet. In the interest of full disclosure, these "Zoodles" (recipe below) do not taste like noodles, but they are surprisingly satisfying.  I actually crave them now. I love my pasta but these Zoodles are good! My solution has been to eat the zoodles and include a half-serving of pasta along with them. I've fed them to the kids too; I just don't try to convince them it's pasta.  I love them most with tomato based sauces but am experimenting with other recipes too. Try them and let me have your thoughts.

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Zoodles

4 - 6 Servings

Ingredients:

4 medium zucchini

Salt 2 tsp.

1 Tblsp. olive oil

1 clove garlic minced

Preparation:

Julienne the zucchini using a julienne peeler, mandoline or spiralizer.  Salt it liberally (use 1/2 tsp. per zucchini) and allow to sit in a mesh strainer for 20 minutes. Don't skip this step; it's essential. 

Rinse the squash to remove some of the surface salt and then gently squeeze it with your hands to remove some of the excess water.

Heat the olive oil gently in a non-stick skillet and add the garlic; when the garlic becomes fragrent, increase the heat to medium high and add the zucchini.  Gently stir fry until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Serve with any sauce you enjoy with pasta.

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Just in time for fall, my inspiration this week came not from a weight loss story, but from a story about apples and a man who loves them. I promise, there is a farmer in me somewhere. Please enjoy this lovely story about apples and then visit a farmer's market near you in search of a new apple to enjoy. If the first story intrigues you, the second one on the same vein is also fascinating. 

I've decided to add a new item to my weekly Tips, Tricks and Inspiration blog: A challenge!  This week's challenge is to make an apple based dish in celebration of fall. Let me know what you love and I'll share your findings here! 

Happy Friday, Friends.