Sunday, August 30, 2009

American Omelet

My favorite breakfast is an omelet with white egg some spinach and mushrooms. When I used to live in the states i Loved going to IHOP because they had the grain and nuts pancakes which were my favorite.
Last week I was in the US and here we stop at IHOP for breakfast I ask for the famous omelet Spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes. I didn't feel being picky about the eggs so i wanted them natural including the yellow.... I got something like that
.

The Omelet itself is very healthy but i was shocked to see that heavy Hollandaise sauce on top. Recently when you order something they give a chart of calories and that supposingly healthy omelet was 700 calories!!!!!

I start scraping all the dressing...I was trying to be healthy but it turned out my omelet has more calories then my husband chocolate chip pancake...

Interesting!!!!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

How I became a runner?

I started running exactly a year ago, when my company sent an email for all the employees if anyone is interested in running a 10 km. I signed up for it and used it as a motivation to stay in shape .
I always loved working out, I used to run cross country when I was 14, i love to play tennis and skied all my life. I even skied at a college level in the states. A lot of times i hit the gym to do some elliptical and weight training. I moved to the Netherlands after I got married last year to live with my hubby. OF course no snow here and I didn't have friends yet to find a partner to play tennis and my hubby at that time was traveling a lot.

So I didn't officially train for this 10 km it was more like for fun.
The 10 km race was over and I felt so good about my body about how much I pushed myself, pushing yourself to the edge was the most amazing feeling.
I had no interest in my time yet since i think i ended up 1000 out of 6000....Next day my company sends an email announcing the best runner out of all the employees who participated. To my big surprise it was me with the time of 47 min
I got so excited to get all the attention and decided that i will always run no matter what. I discovered my new relationship with running and decided to sign up for more races. So since september 2008 i signed up for three 10 km races and 1 race of 10 miles (16.1 km)

Since that day I started running and somehow I start hating the gym. I just started to love being outside and running, me, myself, my Music and I.
After 2 months of running almost daily, I run my second 10 km. I gave it all and I finished with a time of 43:40. I was so excited and i refused to do anything less than 43 min in my next race. Sure enough My time dropped to 42 min 28 sec.

The Last race of 10 km was my favorite.The weather was cold but not too cold, It was Adidas ladies run about couple hundred of ladies not more and i really wanted to drop my time.
So The race started and i was the 3rd girl!!!! So i kept pushing it and pushing it ....The downside of this race it was 2 loops of 5 km .......I absolutely hate loops. As soon as i hit the 5 km I looked on the board I saw my time of 19 min, I knew if I keep running with this pace I will be able to run 41 min or maybe 40 min

As soon as I started the second loop something strange happened and never knew about it. I didn't know in 10 km this could happen!!!I am very embarased to say it but I am not sure out of nowhere my urine fell down...GROSS.I was so scared I didn't know what was happening.

I was so insecure... i was wearing a light blue shorts and I kept thinking that people could see a big spot on my ass...OH BOY...Worst feeling ever i was looking torward the finish line just to disappear and cry.... 2 girls passed me and just before the Finish line I end up passing the girl in front of me....
My time was 41:15 and that was on june 2009. I am so proud of myself to reach my goal. Now I have a feeling my next 10 km it would be as easy to drop my time as I did previously. It is going to be a challenge. I might run 16.1 km and 1/2 marathon before i think of another 10 km.


That is me in white and blue few meters before the finish line

One of the races I did to support Kids with cancer. It was 16.1 km (10 miles) race and i scored a time of 1h 05 and finished second. It was amazing because i won a nice prize from Nike.
The Zoom running shoes + outfit + bag. Great no?



This is me on the podium :)

I feel that in 1 year I accomplished a lot. Recently I signed up for a 10 mile and a 1/2 marathon. I love running and I will keep being competitve.
My goal for the 10 mile is below 1h05 and I didnt set a time for the 1/2 marathon since i never run these distances yet. Maybe 1h 30 min????




Sunday, August 16, 2009

Healthy lifestyle

I am so tired of living an unbalanced lifestyle. I love running, and i want to look
like a real hardcore runner. I go through periods. Some are super healthy and i dont
much and eat sugar and some other period are just terrible.
Now i am through that bad period where i finish my meal and i look for sweets.

So i decided to write this today to set a goal for the next few weeks. I want to eat healthy and be healthy. I am 5'6 130 lbs i really believe as a runner my weight should be around the 120.

Another goal is loose the 10 lbs before xmas. I love Mondays in terms of goals because i love
to start a fresh week with fresh goals.
This week i will only eat vegetables and protein.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

My Running Shoes

All my life I was addicted to Nike. I used Nike for everything it is absolutely my favorite brand.
I loved Nike Town when i was living in the states... Entering the 4 story Nike shop was like a fairytale ...
When I moved to Europe everyone was talking about Asics. I went to Inter-Sports and here they have the machine that analyze all type of feet...The machine according to my feet picked
the Asics that I need to use.



Two days after i bought this shoes I got addicted to Nike+ and I was very disappointed that i couldnt add the ship in the sole just like in Nike. I started to run with these Asics and i was having all kind of blisters and pain... I regretted buying these running shoes....

After few weeks running on them i got used to them and i had to run a 10 mile race on them.
I finished 2nd and I won Nike Zoom.... I was so excited but the problem i started to love my Asics.

Now I am still running on my asics.....I truly love them, they are soft and light.
I recommend it to anyone....

xoxo

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

My Love/ Hate Relationship with Running

When I’m doing it, I love it; I feel energized and healthy. But over the last couple weeks, I have completely lacked motivation to think of running. I had a little muscle injury and somehow i keep using the same excuse in order not to run

Normally it’s because I’m tired from work, even though, ironically, running makes me feel more alert and awake and good about myself.

My plan was to start training again yesterday … but, alas, it’s pissing down with rain out there. So it was another good excuse to stay home.

So, instead, I stayed home and no doubt unduleged myself with nice treats... as if i deserved it...

I have registered for the following races but i will be running the 10 km:

Dam tot Damloop, Amsterdam (September)

Amsterdam Marathon (October)

I am hoping tonight after work i will be motivated enough to start running again....

Monday, August 10, 2009

Soya Milk


I Love the taste of Alpro Soya milk. It is a bit thicker than semi skimmed Mild. It is slightly darker than milk, it has a cream colored tinge to it due to the color of the soya beans. It is lovely in coffee. It makes the coffee quite frothy and almost creamy which I love.

Recently I discovered the Soya desert by Alpro, it is so tasty it has only 2,8 g of Fat and 110 cal. A nice treat to have without all the guilt.

Soy has a lot of benefits.
THE range of milk and yogurt alternatives and their tasty desserts are naturally low in saturated fat. Saturated fat is the “bad” fat that we need to eat less of, as eating too much may raise the bad cholesterol levels in the blood and may also contribute to weight gain.

“Bad fats” should not be confused with “good fats”, such as omega 3 and 6, which may help to keep your heart healthy. Soya naturally contains these two “good fats”.

I really recommend Soy Milk or Soy desert to everyone...it tastes really gooooood.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Ideal Weight For Runners

I was reading an article online about ideal weight and performance for runners and i got triggered by this part

"No man six feet tall and weighing 176lbs (79.8kg) will ever win the London Marathon, and it is unlikely that a woman five feet six inches in height and weighing 130lbs (58.9kg) will ever do so either. Why? To answer this we must consult Dr Stillman's height/weight ratio table. He fixes the non-active man's average weight for height with a simple formula. He allocates 110lbs (56.2kg) for the first five feet (1.524m) in height and 5 1/2lbs (2.296kg) for every inch (0.025m) thereafter. He is harsher with women, giving them 100lbs (45.3kg) for the first five feet and 5lbs (2.268kg) for every inch above this"

Basically I am between 5'5 and 5'6 so for my first 5 feet i should be 45.3 kg + ( 5 inches * 2.268 kg/inch) = 56.64kg so about 125 lbs.... The sad news is i am about 130 lbs, i could be more sometimes....
Definitely I have to loose 5 lbs......How? When? Where? No Idea....

The Best thing is to go step by step. Starting tomorrow I am going to avoid, carbs and sugar.Honestly i feel like huge now...

Goals for this week: Running and eating light

Love for running

When I was a little girl, I was in the track & Field team. I used to love to run cross country. As I grew up i stopped running and focused on skiing. I ski raced at a college level in the States.
Just a little over a year I moved to a country where there is no snow.

I still remember one day going for a run. At first I didn't feel anything but after a while making my way through the canals something strange happened.

I started to enjoy it.

Since I decided that running is something I love to do. I signed up for few 10 km races. in 2009 i run few 10 km I improved my time from 47 min to 42 min. I run as well a 10 miles race that i finished in 1h 04 min.

Running, run through my veins. I am totally Hooked. My goal to run a 1/2 marathon within the upcoming year and run a 10 km less than 40 min.