Meat is Murder!!!…haha just kidding

So I have this Aunt… Her name is Penny and she is my moms sister. I have always thought that aunts don’t come much cooler than she is. She is smart, funny, “whimsical”, and really quirky. But there has always been this thing about her that I have never fully understood. I don’t usually tell many people this so you have to keep it on the down low. Well…here it goes. *whispers* My aunt is a vegetarian. I know can you believe it?! Never in a million year would I have thought that I would be related to a vegetarian. She has been a vegetarian for several years and she has never waivered or faltered. Countless times, my family has been setting around the dinner table eating the meat feast my mom has prepared for us, and while chewing and savoring the divine taste of a good steak one of us would say, “I don’tknow how aunt penny could be a vegetarian.”   Although I have always thought she was crazy, I have always admired her for it, and been curious if I could do it and how it would effect the way I feel.  So about two months ago the curiosity finally killed my mom and I. My goal was to go vegetarian for a week, and after the trial period, see how I felt about this kind of diet. Immediately I noticed an impact. I started eating very healthy; my meals consisting of a big salad and whatever vegetarian dish my mom or I had made. After just two days I noticed I had tons more energy especially when I was running, my food cravings went out the window, and my body just felt more “clean”. I ate this way for almost a month straight, except for the three times I had meat. I am not one of those animal-loving vegetarians who wave protest signs that read “ Meat is Murder!” in front of public places. I love animals but I also like eating them as well. I will still eat meat on special occasions when my family goes out to eat or something, but that is it. I have been experimenting with different vegetarian meals that I am excited about sharing with you guys.

For example, this is what I ate for lunch today.

 

Soy meat and lentil burrito with cheese, sour cream, and salsa.

It was dang good!!!

See ya next time!

New Running Gadgets

Afternoon ya’ll. So I recently went into the big city and splurged on some new running stuff with some extra Christmas money I had stashed away  in my wallet. I’m one of those people who HATE spending money on new shoes. I usually will run in the same shoes until the soles of the shoes are flapping on the front when I jog. That’s exactly what I did with my last ones; I was in desperate need of new running shoes.

Here are the shoes that I traded in for the new ones,

I’ve laid these to rest in my backyard…

Here are the new ones along with my new Nike+IPod sensor.

 

Quite an improvement huh? I love Nike shoes in general but these are by far the most comfortable shoes that I have ever had on my feet. I can’t describe the moment the first time I put these on in the store, but let me tell you… It was magical. They are equally great when running. These shoes are called Nike Pegasus 29. I did some reviews online before I purchased these and I don’t think I came across one negative review. If your in the market for new running shoes on budget of about $80, these are worth a try.

My second purchase is this beautiful baby,

 

Now I know that I am a little late to the game, but this has to be the best $19 I have ever spent. I have had an IPhone for several years but was always skeptical of this device because it doesn’t ask what your stride length is. I hate speedometers. I don’t like how they clip to your shorts and jiggle with every step you take.  With this, I strap my phone onto my arm for music and the sensor fits snug into my running shoes in its own little console. There…annoying speedometer issue solved. And its deadly accurate.

Here is how it fits into the shoe.

You just lift on that doodad on the bottom of the shoe,

Then put the sensor in the pocket, and you’ve got it made.

Here is what the app on the phone looks like,

You can select your workout based on distance, calories, timed, or just a basic workout. When you finish a workout, it will tell you distance ran, time, average pace, calories burned, and fastest mile ran. It really is an awesome gadget. It also give you great will power to run a longer distance because you want to see that big number on your screen when your finished.
Thats about all I’ve got for today.

Oh, P.S. this is my blogging buddy for today. Purdy Little Wienie.

See ya next time 😉

Running is my therapy…

Good afternoon! So this is my first real post as a new blogger-besides my about me page-and I wanted it be about what this blog will be mostly themed around…Fitness.

I do several types of exercises to stay fit and in shape, but my favorite comes in the form of running. I LOVE RUNNING!

This is me running in the nature reserve on campus of the college I attend. Please ignore my terrible running technique. I was trying to look all macho-tough-guy-runner when my mom snapped the picture.

Running is what I have been doing the longest and know the most about. I have also done my fair share of road biking, which I plan to do an entire post about in the very near future so stay tuned. Any type of cardio exercise is what I like the most, but as for weight lifting? I’m kinda new to the scene. I use my time for running not only to stay in shape, but also as a time for me to step out of the daily grind for an hour or so and only focus on myself. When I’m running and engrossed in music playing through my earbuds, Its my form of therapy. It feels like my mind is renewing itself and my clarity of thought is much clearer. I think this is why I have a drive to keep running. But of course I love the impact it make on my body as well. One of the best feelings I can think of is when my body tells me that it wants to go run, like I’m craving it. If you have never had one of these cravings, its hard to explain.

I think I should share a quick history on the reason I developed a love for running in the first place, if you haven’t already read my about me page. Since I was seven or so I had always been an overweight kid and I think I may have even struggled from an eating addiction. My parents would tell me I had had enough to eat at our meal, and afterwards I would casually sneak into the kitchen and munch on the food that was still left out from dinner. I finally had a wake up call when I was 17 and decided that things had to change. So i started running and watching what i eat. I went from weighing about 265 IBS to currently weighing 210 LBS. My lowest weight was 201 lbs. which is not a healthy weight for my body type without a proper workout routine.

I have recently purchased some new running accessories that plan to do blogs post about as well. These include brand new running shoes and a new NIKE+iPod sensor which I love.

Thanks for dropping my today. I think I’m going to like this blogging thing. See ya next time