Catching up on week 4! No more low back pain!

Yikes it's been a whirlwind week at work, and I haven't been that diligent about blogging, but I wanted to catch up on week 4.  I have been having a fun and busy week. It's sunny and clear in Portland, and it almost feels like Spring.  Barre3  Classes have been good.  I can tell my body is getting stronger because things that felt hard in weeks 1 and 2 feel easier.  The challenge now is choosing a new edge to work at so I'm still challenging myself.  I was so inspired by this woman next to me in class the other day at the Pearl studio.  She was literally shaking the entire class, and was working with her eyes closed.  I haven't seen anyone with such intense focus, and she inspired me to work harder that night.  Thank you Barre3 stranger for the motivation!

Also, race season is starting so I am looking forward to seeing how my hip flexors and low back do with the extra run mileage I am going to be adding to my week.  Consistent Barre3 practice helps with strength, but also for me it helps relieve low back tension, and helps me with my tight hips.   I can tell that my body feels better in normal, everyday movements like bending over to pick something up, and going up stairs.  I can't wait to combine my race training with Barre3 and hopefully I will have an injury free spring/summer!  Usually when I start running more as the weather gets nicer, I have to take breaks from it because my low back starts to hurt.  I haven't been having back, hip flexor, and knee pain lately so I'm hoping that doesn't change.  I just signed up for the Shamrock 8k and I'm looking into some longer distances in the spring and perhaps Fall.  I feel really strong this year! 

Here is some of what I've been eating!

Fresh squeezed orange juice from World Foods.  If you haven't been to World Foods in the Pearl, go check it out! They have beautiful produce, and a lot of healthy snack options like pre-sliced veggies and hummus and fresh juice.

Smoothie cup from Greenleaf.  Smoothie with berries, kale, and almond butter.  House made granola, and fresh fruit.  I forgot to ask if the granola was GF...I'm not sure if it is.

Baked chicken, green beans, and rice.

Carrots with hummus.

Butternut squash soup from the freezer (I froze individual sized portions and then took one to work and heated it up) with cucumber salad (cucumbers, onions, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt, pepper, chili flakes, sesame seeds)

Green smoothie:  Spinach, avocado, OJ, strawberries, pinneapple, chia seeds

Homemade chocolate chip cookies...I made them for Brad and couldn't resist having one with my tea.

Egg curry.  Sounds weird but it's actually really good.  The curry sauce is made with coconut milk, onions, garlic, spices, and the you fold in hardboiled eggs.  I had cucumber salad on the side.

Week 4: Finishing Strong!

Okay, I have a confession to make.  I was SUPER lazy last week with the blogging.  I hardly took any food pictures and I didn't post anything over the weekend.  The January Challenge started off really fun for me, and then last week it started to stress me out.  I went through the motions, but it felt like work, instead of something I had chosen to do for myself.  There is one more week left of the challenge and I went to end on a really high note.  I want to have fun with my barre3 workouts and with my food, and not feel stressed out by the different elements of the challenge.  I need to remind myself that there are so many things I CAN eat, and not let the things I am trying to crowd out make me feel like I am being deprived.

Moving on!

I don't honestly remember what I have eaten the past few days.  I know I have eaten a lot of white bean soup because we had a ton of it leftover.   I also have had a lot of tea with honey and almond milk, a lot of oranges, and a lot of barre3 pumpkin spice muffins!

Today I found a new yummy snack that satisfied my salty and crunchy cravings:  I topped a rice cracker with hummus and sliced cucumbers.  I always forget how much I love cucumbers.  I love dipping them into hummus or guacamole instead of chips or crackers.  YUM!

Here's to finishing strong in week 4!

Day 17 and 18: Catching up!

I've been too busy to blog, but I wanted to catch up on my Wednesday and Thursday.  On Wednesday I rested and didn't take class, but on Thursday I went to MUV training for a strength training class, and then to barre3 at Athleta for a free class.  MUV was such a fun gym!  We did a lot of functional movement strength training, and some cardio intervals.  Barre3 was amazing as always, I love the non-barre classes that are offsite.  I always focus more on my the mind-body connection aspect of the workout.  Without the barre for balance and the weights during combo work, I tend to find my own resistance and I feel like I get a deeper workout.

Here's what I ate over the past few days:

Dinner last night:  Chicken apple sausage with sauteed peppers and onions, salad with leftover veggies, dates, and homemade mustard maple dressing. 

I made white bean soup last night to have on hand for the week; I used onions, garlic, sausage, carrots, kale, tomatoes, white beans, and chicken stock.

Snack time!  Dried mango, dates, and a cutie orange.

Lavender Love smoothie from Whole Foods:  Lavender flowers, blueberries, banana, almond milk, and honey.

Leftover chicken stir-fry with wild rice.  Looks kind of gross but it was really good.


Have a good day!