What I Did This Week

I was able to work out 6 days this week, which was great. Although I am really enjoying running, it's not the only exercise I do. I have started to realize the importance of incorporating weights into my workouts and doing more strength exercises. Even my running group puts things like this on our off days. If I want to be a stronger runner, I have to have a stronger body in general.

I got discouraged on the scale last week, but I'm starting to realize that as I gain strength, I don't need to be on the scale every week. My arms actually have muscles in them now that I can feel. I have a friend measure my inches once per month, and they have been consistently going down. I still have goals to lose weight, but if I'm healthier in general, I have to be happier with myself instead of obsessing over the scale. I will say that as I started the journey, the scale was the best motivator that I found, so I will not abandon it and I wouldn't tell anybody who is starting out to abandon it. That being said, STOP getting on it everyday! I don't consider that necessary for anybody. I had someone tell me today that they weighed themselves after drinking cocktails and were disappointed that they gained weight after that. Your weight naturally fluctuates throughout the day, even by the hour. There's no reason to torture yourself by constantly being on the scale to see if you gained weight after eating one cookie.

Here are some pictures from my workouts this week:

This was a hill oriented run because I missed my running group on Wednesday. 

This is a RIPPED instructor. Her class helps me focus on some strength

It was a very interesting birthday run on Saturday. 5 miles in the snow was honestly an empowering way to start another year of life. Go me! 

Now to get you caught up on my food. On Sunday, T.J. and I meal prepped some great things for the week. One was this yummy chicken salad. I ate it pretty much all week for my lunch. I just ate it plain and still enjoyed it.

We also meal prepped these egg muffins for breakfast. I looked up several recipes and we just kind of did this on our own. It included 12 eggs, steamed spinach and mushrooms, crumbled turkey bacon, and feta cheese. We added garlic powder, salt and pepper. There's literally tons of these recipes so just find one that fits your taste buds best. They were so easy to make and we ate them all week long but just popping them from the fridge into the microwave. I even wrapped them in a paper towel so I could eat them in the car since I'm always in a rush with food. This picture does not do them justice. They were really good!

I have to be honest, this was the worst part of the meal prep....

Lastly, my friends and I started a "healthy dinner club." This week, our friend Chad made Korean stir fry. I wish I could post the recipe, but I don't even know how he made it. He buys a lot of ingredients at a Korean grocery store and I can't read the labels. It was loaded with vegetables and covered in a very spicy sauce. On the side were veggie dumplings, also from the Korean grocery store. It tasted like it came straight from a restaurant. If you have friends that are on the same journey as you, it really helps you to reach your goals. Especially if they are willing to cook for you once a week. It gives you the same feel as going out to eat!

This post was long because I tried to cram the whole week in. I'll try to be better about breaking it up again this week!