The Iron Pirate: July 1&2: I Spent The Evening With Heidi & Chris Powel!

Hey Everyone!

I spent the evening (July 1st, 2014) with Heidi & Chris Powell from Extreme Weight Loss Edition! Okay, well not in person... but we tweeted up a storm over a 2 hour period together! =) I love them, they are such caring and inspirational people. And I loved the fact that on 'Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition,' Heidi took on Melissa as her client... very touching episode. Thank you, Heidi & Chris, for interacting with all of us, your fans. I was so pumped, I even performed #CommercialBreak mini-workouts as well as tweets! Lol!

Here's a couple of our tweets from last night's show (posted at the end of the blog, below)... I don't really tweet that often, but when I do, it's with Chris and Heidi Powell! For 2 hours! Lol! They have the best fans... it's so much fun interacting with everyone during a new show. So much support and love. Genuine.

Today I read a little further in my book, "Run Your Butt Off," and I decided that I needed to go back into my SHealth App and change the settings. While my REAL goal daily is to walk 10,000 steps, I decided to change the settings within my cellphone app to coincide with my daily training needs. I lowered my Pedometer and Exercise Distance goals to 2,100 steps for this week, because my training goal this week is to get walking... slowly.... and walk for 30 minutes at a time, per day, 4x's per week, for 2 weeks.

Now, my pedometer will continue to count for me, even after I pass the 2,100 step mark. That way I will know when I've reached 10,000 steps for the day. It will mark my small step goal as "completed" for me, so that I can see that it's done. Today, I walked for 32 minutes and 37 seconds, which burned 199 calories, for a total of 1.28 miles walked at a "normal" pace. (Those were my instructions for 5K training weeks 1 & 2) (Because I have a previous knee injury... and I'm not a runner, per say.)

I felt great during my walk. I did a pre-stretch in my weight room before I went. Breakfast was 40 minutes before my walk... however, I noticed during my walking, that I felt "full" with too much water in my tummy. It was an uncomfortable feeling. I drank a lot of water this morning, and decided to forego my usual 2nd cup of java. Tomorrow, I will practice drinking water WHILE I'm walking, instead of drinking so much before I go.

Something else I learned while walking today is that I simply LOVE my new shoes. <3 LOVE <3 Great support. Comfy. Felt like walking on air. No blisters. No foot sweat. Perfect! And for once in my life, they are the correct size. I always thought that I preferred a different type of shoe for walking/jogging. But these New Balance are right up there with my Saucony's for comfort and support. Sweet!

I tend to need good arch support, and these tennie's required no additional inserts or arch supports. That's a first for me =)

I was so happy pre-workout today... my July/August edition of Clean Eating Magazine was finally delivered! Yayyy! It is, to date, my FAVORITE magazine edition yet. It's loaded with excellent summer recipes, stories, suggestions, and ideas. Get yourself a copy. It's well worth the $4.99! Here I am in front of our ripening Concord Grapes in our front yard, getting ready to go for my walk! Hello, my beauties!

It felt so good to get out in the fresh air again and just walk! It's been a struggle for me to not be 'embarrassed' of how I look when I'm out walking. But, Heidi Powell told me last night that I CAN DO THIS... so guess what? I am choosing to believe her! Today, I put on my Pirate Hat, pulled up my big-girl panties, and forged ahead! I did not look at on-coming traffic, and chose not to care about what they may or may not be thinking of this 226 pound obese girl walking down the street.

I was too busy enjoying the breeze and slightly over-cast warm San Diego day, thanking God for giving me the strength and energy to get outdoors today, and to work hard toward my goal of participating in the 5K this year, in my daughter Breanna's honor and memory. I thought about last night's episode of EWL, and the encouragement that Heidi and Chris gave me via our Twitter feed. They are absolutely right... I CAN finish this. I CAN reach my goal weight. I am NOT my past, or the pain that I've suffered from. I can begin again, and I can reach whatever goals, dreams, and destinations that I choose to create for myself. So, off I went... and I walked at a brisk pace, for the entire 30 minutes required of my first couple of days of 5K training.

Truth be told, I could have easily doubled or tripled my walk. Although I am not a 'runner,' I do consider myself to be an advanced walker. It's basically the only thing that I can do that doesn't flare up my knee. Any how, I decided to follow the instructions provided in 'Run Your Butt Off." It was written for people like me, who have no idea or clue HOW to begin running or training for a race. I shall be patient. I shall not stray. I shall not wander off of my course!

Water: This is an extremely important factor for me to add into my training. I suffer from chronic migraine syndrome. I cannot afford to become dehydrated! So, I will continue to fill up my 28 ounce water bottle, and carry it with me while I'm walking. I drank the entire bottle on my walk yesterday. Today, not so much... I drank too much water before my walk, as I wrote about above. I did, however, utilize my water bottle as a hand-held weight for my arms! I do believe I did get a good little workout in today!

I've been sticking to my clean eating plan 100%. I have not strayed. Here is what my meals have looked like so far today... I will post my completed SHealth Food Journal here later this evening, after I have completed it. For now, here's an idea of what I eat every day, and frequency (times vary, according to workout sched):

Pre-training Breakfast (9am):

*Blueberry Banana Oatmeal (made with whole oats, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup filtered water, 1/2 medium banana smashed, 1/4 cup blueberries) ( I opted for no flax today)

*2 Hard Boiled Eggs, yolks included (only 2 yolks per day... I'll be blogging about eggs soon!)

*1 cup hot coffee with 1 tablespoon Italian Sweet Cream (Hey, I've cut back, ok?)

*28 ounces filtered water throughout morning before training

Post-Training Snack/Recovery Meal (9:45 am):

It's imperative to the repair of your muscles to consume protein right after a workout session, whether you are walking, jogging, running, weight training, cycling, swimming, performing cardio or HIIT/Tabata-style sessions, etc. Be sure to have a 'recovery' mini-meal or smoothie directly following your workout. Today, my choice is a Pineapple Cherry Protein Smoothie!

Here is a great recipe for you to try:

*1/2 cup Silk Coconut Milk
*1/2 cup Almond Milk
*1 cup fresh or frozen spinach leaves
*1/2 cup fresh or frozen diced pineapple
*5 whole Bing or black cherries, pitted
~Blend in blender, Ninja, or Vitamix-type appliance. Enjoy!

Lunch (12:30 pm):

Turkey Sandwich:
*2 slices whole wheat bread (no more then 1 gram sugar per slice, and 4+grams protein per slice)
*2 slices lean nitrate/nitrite-free sliced turkey
*1 teaspoon yellow mustard
*Spring Salad mix, about 1/2 cup
*1/2 sliced Roma Tomato
*4-6 thin slices cucumber, peeled

*Plus 2 small apricots, and a 3 inch piece of a carrot, julienned
*Filtered water with a squeeze of lemon (8 ounces)

Afternoon Snack (3:30 pm):

*1 Red Delicious Apple, from our tree (organic)
*1 tablespoon All Natural Peanut butter, creamy, no sugar added (3 grams sugar or less)

(2 tablespoons of peanut butter are considered to be one serving; however, I find that I am satisfied in only consuming half of that amount)

Another typical afternoon snack for me would be
an apple with a handful of almonds, cashews, or seeds. Or perhaps Greek yogurt topped with fresh fruit, sprinkled with sliced almonds and flax. Hummus, mashed avocado, and sliced raw veggies also make great snacks!

Dinner (6:30 pm):

*1 serving 'Clean' Chicken & Mushroom Stroganoff (I'll put a link to my website with the recipe here this evening for you!)
*1 cup steamed green beans
*1/2 cup long grain brown rice
*Spring mix, baby spinach, & romaine salad with tomatoes and cucumbers
*1 tablespoon Buttermilk Ranch dressing, cleaned up version, home-made

WATER (all day long):

*I consume a total of 112 ounces of filtered water daily. That includes water with meals. I do not include my coffee in this total, because coffee is a diuretic. I do not consume any other beverages while training. I generally discontinue water about 45 minutes prior to bed time, although I do keep my water bottle next to my bed at night.

Well, that sums up today. I feel good, I feel strong, I feel motivated, I feel thankful, I feel blessed. I feel happy to have accomplished all of my goals today, whether big OR small.... they all add up, and they all count!

Enjoy your evening. I'm hitting the sack early! A Pirate needs her beauty sleep. Aaargghh!

~K

*Bellow: Fun tweets from last night's Extreme Weight Loss with Chris & Heidi Powell: