What This Vegan Ate to Train for a Marathon, and Other Things

Hello! How was your week? Was it good? Did you eat well? Did you exercise?

If you answered yes, then booyah to yah!!

If not, well.....there's always right now. Not later, not tomorrow, or next week, RIGHT NOW.

My dad used to have all kinds of sayings that he liked to share with me and my siblings. "Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do right now," was one of his favorites. Words of wisdom right there y'all. Words. Of. Wisdom. Notice that he didn't say, "....what you can do tomorrow."  No, he said, "RIGHT NOW."

If you didn't eat well, or work out, or, gasp, didn't do either this week, you're feeling it, aren't you? You're feeling sluggish and cranky, and since bad food begets bad food, your next meal will more than likely come from a box, wrapper, can, or drive thru. Scrrrreeeech! That's my  interpretation of brakes screeching on pavement. Stop the madness and back it up. Actually, don't back it up, because there is no sense in looking back. It's time to reset and move forward. Right now. You can't undo what you already put in your body, but you can begin getting back your mojo. If you're feeling bad because you ate a bag of potato chips, drank three big gulps, and fed yourself "food" that was preserved in plastic wrap; let it go. What's done is done, you can't change what you did, BUT, you can change what you're doing. Past vs. Present.

Living in the present is the smartest and most rewarding way to live. If you're constantly thinking about things that already happened, and worrying and focusing about the future, you're missing out on your life.  Don't live in the past or the future, because you can't. You can only live in the here and now, so stop throwing away your life, and stop wasting time planning on how much better you're going to eat tomorrow, and what kind of workout you're going to do tomorrow. Do it now. Or at least do it today.

How does one go about resetting and focusing on getting back to their healthiest and happiest self? Let's start from the beginning of this week. Something happened that made you make poor food choices, and like dominoes, that one bad choice led to a whole week's worth of bad eating. Fine, you did it, it's done, move along, there's nothing to see here anymore. But wait, there's a problem. The excess sugar, salt, and fat that was in all of the processed food that you ate this week is calling your name. It did its job like a boss, and now it's got you wrapped around its nasty fingers. You want more, NEED more, and you're fighting like heck not to push the button on that vending machine or make a quick trip through a fast food joint.

STOP! Instead of buying a snack, or a soda, take the first step back to sanity and buy a bottle of water. Open that bottle and feel that cool, cleansing, wonderful liquid slide down your throat and into your stomach. Really, do that. Pay attention to how that water feels as it reaches the core of your body. Are you starting to feel more alert? I'm going to guess that you are. Now take another sip and think about how that water is hydrating every cell of your being, then, think about how much better you're already beginning to feel. Now walk away from the vending machine, or whatever source of temptation you're near, and don't look back. Just rebuild from here.

Live in the moment and stop beating yourself up for the things you did before right now. Right now you're going to eat an apple, or some hummus, or an avocado.  Your next meal is going to consist of whole foods, nothing refined, nothing processed, just real food. As it gets closer to breakfast, lunch, or dinner, know that you're going to eat the healthiest food available and you're not going to give in to the garbage. Yes, you may need to do a little planning, which means living in the future for a bit, but that's okay as long as you don't obsess about it.

Once you get back into the habit of eating healthy again, you're going to  wonder why you ever stopped in the first place. DON'T! Just keep living in the now and enjoy it.

The same rules apply for working out. A body in motion tends to stay in motion. That's Newton's law of inertia, and it's true. When you keep your body strong and in shape, it rewards you. I'm not talking about looking good, although that is a perk of being fit, I'm talking about having energy to do the things that you want to do. When your body is strong, and you have good cardiovascular health, walking up a flight of stairs is nothing, lifting a heavy box isn't challenging, opening a tight lid on a jar is possible. And here's the best part of being fit, your body wants to keep going, and it wants to be fed healthy food and water, and your mood is good, and all of the stars are aligned because exercise and healthy eating go hand in hand.

All in all, you know this, you just got off track and needed a little reminder about how to get back on. It happens to the best of us. What's important is that you don't sabotage all that you've worked for because of a few days of unhealthy living. Don't look back, start moving forward, live in the present and keep reminding yourself  that the choice that you make now will help you have a better tomorrow.

Why the pep talk? I've had to talk a few people off of the ledge this week and remind them that life is about what you're doing right this second. For the most part, life is pretty freaking amazing, and if you're missing it because you're paying more attention to your phone, or dwelling on something that happened in the past, or you're so busy planning the future that you wake up one day and realize that life has passed you by, that's what I call a wasted life. Don't waste your life.

As I write this, I'm living in the present. My little Coco monster is snuggled on my lap under her favorite blanket, my sweet Gizmo is snuggled in his bed next to my feet, the fall colors outside of my window are spectacular, and I'm so happy to be doing the job that I love. Right now is good. You know what else is good? I've gone ahead and done some planning for the future, which will keep me focused on the present. I registered for a half-marathon in May and the 2017 Chicago Marathon! Yes, that's looking forward, but it's all about what I'm doing right now that will get me there. That's what I've learned, and what I love about training for a marathon. I HAVE to live in the moment. There's no time to dwell on failures of the past (you can learn from mistakes, just don't obsess), and planning the future is going to eat up sweet precious today. Training is all about feeling your feet hit the pavement, paying attention to your breathing, listening to what's happening around you, looking at your surroundings and appreciating what you have. That's what marathon training, working out, and playing tennis does for me. Those things allow me to live in the moment and understand the importance of right now.

The same goes for cooking whole plant-based foods. When I'm making meals that I know will make my body run at peak performance, it puts me in my happy place. Cooking wakes up my senses, the smell, the feel, the colors, and the taste of healthy food makes me feel grateful and blessed. I even get excited when I open a bag of frozen peas and begin pouring them into a bowl. Have you ever really looked at how gorgeous peas are? Next time you make them, really look at them. They're perfect little balls of glorious green protein and fiber that will nourish you like only peas can. I know, that sounds corny, but it really isn't if you pay attention to what you're doing.

As we head into the holiday season, you can bet that we're all going to have to keep reminding ourselves to stay present. It's really the best gift we can give to ourselves and to our loved ones. Think about it. And as I begin to start winter training for the spring half-marathon that I'll be running in May, I'll keep myself motivated, fit, and healthy by staying in the moment and enjoying every bit of what life has in store for me.

Whole Food Plant-Based Vegan Food to Fuel an Athlete

This week I'm sharing my Sunday Funday menu with you all. One of my meals wasn't the healthiest, but it was fun! I took my own advice and got back on track for my next meal and all was well with my world.

Breakfast

The Breakfast King made waffles! I had a glass of lemon water, a cup of coffee with almond milk, and a big ole' Strawberry Pecan Belgian waffle. So good!

Lunch

I was so full from that waffle that I didn't need a morning snack. We made a big batch of chili on Saturday so I had a small bowl for lunch (I didn't eat the bread shown) and an apple for dessert. Here's the chili recipe.

Dinner

Since we had leftover chili, the hubby wanted chili dogs. We bought Field Roast vegan dogs and made a potato salad (recipe coming next week) and grilled cabbage. And since it was Sunday Funday, I had two glasses of red wine. Cheers!

I'm not even going to bother adding up how much protein I consumed on Sunday because I ate at least 3 cups of red beans, which would add up to approximately 48 grams of protein. That's 2 grams more than the daily recommended allowance for women, and when you add all of the other foods I ate I know I got up to at least 55 grams.

Activity for the week:

I gave my body a week off from running after the marathon and broke my shoes back in on Sunday. It felt so good to be back at it!

Friday - 2 hours of doubles tennis, 45 minutes of weight training,  and a 2 mile walk with the dogs

Saturday - 2 hour singles match and a 2 mile walk with the dogs

Sunday - 5.5 mile run

Monday - 2 hours of doubles tennis, 30 minutes of weight training, 1 mile walk with the dogs

Tuesday - 6 mile run

Wednesday - 2 hours of doubles tennis and 40 minutes of weight training

Thursday - rest day

Friday - 2 hours doubles match and a 2 mile walk with the dogs

Total mile run: 11.5

Total miles walked: 7 miles (it was cold and rainy this week)

Total hours of tennis played: 10 hours

Total time spent lifting weights: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you on Monday with a delicious warm lentil and quinoa salad recipe. I'll share the potato salad recipe with you on Wednesday! 

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