"I want to do a half marathon" and other athletic adventures that followed: May 2016

For those who know me... you know I am a freak about planning. Planning a vacation, camping trip, trip to the zoo, backpacking... whatever. You best believe I have a list made, usually written out, way before anyone else.

The whole idea behind me starting and stopping my Whole30 was to be finished before Memorial Day weekend. Why you may ask? Because it is tradition in my (camping)family to camp Friday-Monday, live by a campfire, and drink/eat copious amounts of alcohol/food all the while. Not Whole30 compliant. BUT I was thinking that I didn't really want to ruin all of the hard work I put in for the past month, so I decided I wanted to eat Whole30 and drink as "responsibly" as possible.

A lot of the meal plan ideas I read on Pinterest were rubbish... because people consider staying in a RV with a stove/water camping. I'll fight you bro, it's not. End of story. BUT car camping isn't really roughing it either, so I found a middle-ground that may work for others that want to enjoy the great outdoors without having the guilt of heavy foods.

Keep in mind that the ingredients I will be using are all Whole30 approved (aka the ranch, mayo, bacon, etc) except the vodka. Also, some of these foods aren't exactly in the spirit of Whole30 per say (sweet potato chips).

Day 1 (1/2 travel day)
Meal 1 - Hard boiled egg, banana
Meal 2 - Leftovers
Meal 3 - Bacon wrapped asparagus, hot dogs

Day 2
Meal 1 - Twice baked breakfast sweet potatoes, banana
Meal 2 - Taco meat in lettuce boats, sunbutter+apple, carrots
Meal 3 - Chicken avocado burgers, roasted veggies in foil

Day 3
Meal 1 - Whole30 Breakfast bake, banana
Meal 2 - Cold cut lettuce boat with ranch, potluck broccoli salad, sunbutter+apple
Meal 3 - Grilled Mediterranean Chicken foil packs

Day 4 (1/2 travel day)
Meal 1 - Whole30 Breakfast bake, banana
Meal 2 - Cold cut lettuce boat with ranch, sunbutter+apple, potluck broccoli salad
Meal 3 - Leftovers

Snacks
- Almonds, pistachios
- Sliced veggies (carrots, peppers, cherry tomatoes)
- Red pepper dip (for the veggies)
- Sweet potato chips
Condiments
- Ketchup
- BBQ
- Mayo
- Ranch
- Sunbutter
Drinks
- Water
- Homemade bloody mary mix
- Seltzer water
- Lemons
- Vodka

I think the trick to eating delicious foods with limited resources in camp is to prep-prep-prep! Notice there are some items highlighted in orange and some in red. Things in orange will be prepped the day before I leave and the stuff in red will be prepped the weekend before I leave and will be frozen/vacuum sealed. Told ya I'm a freak ;)

There were a few other snacks I was thinking of such as Apple Cookies and Ultimate Dill Tuna Salad Bites.

So this is my start to healthy camping! I have also been on the lookout on Pinterest for good meals to dehydrate and vacuum seal for my backpacking trip in October! Those too, will be Whole30 meals :)

Happy trails!

It feels like it's been EONS since I've posted on my blog... I mean, it's probably been about two years at the very least. I have been busy starting my career post-graduation and figuring out what post-college life is really all about. It's about working... and proving that you're an asset... and all the corporate BS you hear/read about... BUT the nuggets of feeling like you're making a difference and doing what you love make it all worth it!

The weirdest thing is I feel like I have more free time since graduating, but the hours I have available aren't "primo" for working out (aka ass-crack of dawn or when I'm starving for dinner after work). So, I fell into quite a bit of a slump. And by slump, I mean I got back to the weight I was before I started working out. Five years of hard work. 50 lbs gained. Toned muscle un-sculpted. Pretty much one of the worst feelings EVER.

I had gained about 20 lbs back within the first year after graduating, but I was still running quite a bit and hitting the gym. Was eating not so healthy and drinking quite a bit, so that is probably the reason there. And then I got assigned to a three month project in northern Wisconsin for work. To those unfamiliar, northern Wisconsin is NOT known for their health food. They are known for beer, cheese, fried fish, and ice cream. So three months in that junk-food haven, although surrounded by beautiful forest and lake, got me to where I was April 2016. Just over 200 lbs and hating it.

Don't get me wrong, be big and beautiful the way you are, but that's just not a healthy weight for my body type. My left hip and knees were starting to bother me again, I was getting winded easier, and running felt like I was pushing through Jello. I feel comfortable when I can hike the way I want to, run the way I like, and do my usual kick-assery out in the field for work. Which lead me to the Whole30...

The program is based off of eating more natural foods that fuel your body and help you develop a better relationship with food. If I have a bad day at work, that time of month, bored... I can plow down half a bag of tortilla chips with salsa or a pint of Ben and Jerry's and have terrible guilt for the next 24 hours. NOT a healthy relationship... that's called a binge eating disorder folks. The Whole30 is just this:

"...short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system"

The premise is to eat real foods and not eat/do the following:

Added sugar of any kind, real or artificial
Alcohol
Grains
Legumes
Dairy
Carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites
Re-created junk foods with "approved" ingredients
STEP ON THE SCALE OR TAKE BODY MEASUREMENTS DURING

The last rule is what really turned me onto the program. It leads us to walk away from this obsession that many of us, myself included, have with the quantitative aspects of our bodies and instead focus on what's inside and how you feel. They also have had people testify that their Hashimoto's Thyroiditis has improved and their hormone levels have gone back to normal thanks to changing their lifestyle! What I would give to be medication free!

Again, this is only technically a 30 day reset, but the idea is to use what you learned from the program and re-introduce foods you've cut out slowly to see how your body reacts. For me, I could see myself continuing to eat paleo and drinking a glass of wine every once in awhile post-Whole30. Definitely the occasional coconut milk ice cream for the summer months. Ya know, the important stuff ;) The beauty of the program is it doesn't need to be JUST 30 days. If you're still having a tough time with food, you can make it a Whole60 or Whole90 if you REALLY are committed. Or you've had a few bad months and need to get back on track? Do another Whole30 to reset yourself! The food has been AMAZING, even my non-Whole30er significant other likes it!

The reason why I started blogging again is because I FINALLY have re-cooped my energy from starting this new lifestyle and I have started running/working out again starting this past Monday (May 16th)! I am currently on Day 21, which is about the time they say you start getting your energy back.

I have the Dirty Girl Mud Run coming up August 13th and I want to be able to really have fun with it! After that, I begin training for my second half marathon August 28th! I have lots of things to look forward to, and I want to keep track of my progress on here as best as I can. I'm thinking recipe/photo posting, personal progress/workout updates... neat geology stuff... ya know, the important things in life.

Maybe if I am feeling a little discouraged later down the road, I can look back at these posts and see WHY I am working my tail off once again!

Happy trails!

(Some of my favorite meals thus far...Sorry most of these don't have provided recipes. They were in the Whole30 Cookbook which is copyrighted)