A Great Day To Be Outside

First off, thank you to everyone who commented on this morning’s post about What I’ve Been Trying.   If you haven’t already, go through some of the comments (and add your own two cents, please!).     I want to stress again that I am FAR FROM an expert, and am NOT cutting gluten out completely from my diet (unless this REALLY works, then I may consider going to a doctor and getting tested/discuss a nutrition plan).

There was a really good point made in the comments about balance, and being careful when cutting ANYTHING completely out of your diet, which is why I wanted to once again stress my point here.  In reality, the only “bad” gluten that I really struggle with in my diet is in the form of processed bars and foods as work snacks, which like I mentioned, nobody really needs.  And these are the foods that I’m most focused on this week.

Let’s backtrack to yesterday, shall we :).

Yesterday Afternoon

We had a bit of an overcast afternoon/evening, which made perfect Summer weather for outdoor activities.   I managed to sneak out for a 2 mile or so walk during my lunch break at work to take advantage of the weather.

Walk

And hit the road for some hill work the moment I got home.  I was lucky yesterday and had a partner in crime in the form of my hubby for the first two miles, followed by a little under 3 miles of hill work on my own.

RUN

Overall the run looked like this:

• 2 miles with Zach
• 1 mile to get to a hill
• Repeats of 1 minute up hill, 30 seconds downhill, until I made it up the hill and back home.

Zach and I’s new neighborhood is right on top of a pretty serious hill, so I have been taking advantage of that and doing these hill repeats about once a week.  I can definitely tell a difference already, especially this weekend in Breck!

Dinner

We got back from our run about 615 and both had a couple things we wanted to get done around the house before dinner.  Right around 7 PM Zach started the grill and I got to making the salads.

On the menu last night was grilled flank steak, veggie burgers, and salads.

Plus hunks of rosemary sourdough bread for Zach and carrots chips from Whole Foods for me.

Num num!

We both washed down dinner with a glass of wine and enjoyed the cooler than normal evening outdoors until the misquitos started getting at Zach.  At which point we headed indoors and watched a Jim Gaffigan special while I ate some new-to-me Gluten Free cookies.

I’d never seen this brand before but they were pretty solid.  Unfortunately my sweet tooth took over and I ate 2.5 cookies.  What can I say, I’m a cookie monster!

This Morning

I woke up feeling good this morning and did a 30 minute arm routine including:

• bicep curls (20 lbs)
• push ups
• overhead tricep curls (13 lbs)
• tricep kick backs (8 lbs)
• chest press (20 lbs)
• shoulder press (20 lbs)

I did these work outs in super sets, completing 3 rounds of two of the work outs together.  It took about 30 minutes overall and my arms felt nice and tired after.  I’m shooting for a hot yoga class tonight since it’s the last night of my free week at Core Power Yoga, so hopefully I can sneak out work.

I got a huge bunch of baby carrots, pineapple and strawberries to munch on all morning, so I’m about to head that way! 🙂

What are your favorite hill work outs?  Do you love/hate hills?

Favorite fresh fruit?

What I’ve Been Trying: Gluten

Good Morning my favorite blog friends, and cheers to getting through another Monday!

I’m checking in this morning because I’ve been meaning to catch up with you guys on some things I’ve been trying recently regarding my diet.

Disclaimer:  I am NOT a registered dietician or professional of any kind regarding nutrition.  It’s just a passion of mine and something I like to research and am constantly trying to improve for myself.  Please know that what I am discussing here is strictly my opinion and what I am trying to make myself healthier overall.

Now that THAT is over, let’s be clear when I use the word diet.  That does not mean I am on a weight loss plan, or have any intention of losing weight.  I am actually happy with my current weight and have no qualms there.

A couple of you noticed last week that I mentioned my stomach or gut acting up last week.  This is definitely not the first time it has happened, but it was eye openingly frustrating and painful this time.

The symptoms that I normally experience are bloating (horrible word, can I just say), painful cramping and overall I  notice a bit of an extended area in my midsection.  Enough to make my clothes fit uncomfortably on these days.

My Current Diet/Nutrition

I really do try and eat healthy and balanced.

Most evenings Zach and I prepare a healthy, balanced dinner that is full of color.  Shooting for a healthy balance of protein, fat, carbs, etc.

But as a busy 9-5er, it’s my daytime and weekend eats that I think may be getting me in the most trouble.

Most days of the week, I rely on process granola or protein bars high in processed goods and gluten.

Well let’s face it, these kind of eats don’t do many people many good, but then through in a possible sensitive tummy. I’ve thought this to myself often, but when multiple readers have pointed out to me that my symptoms sound like a possible gluten sensitivity, I got to thinking.

Whether or not I have a gluten sensitivity, I need to curb my reliance on these kind of foods.  

Last week and this week, I’ve been focusing much more on eating whole foods both during the day and at night.  My eats during the day have been focused around fresh juice, fresh fruit and good yogurt.

old picture but you get the point

I’ve been LOVING strawberries, cherries and blueberries as of late.  And I’m really feeling pineapple lately so I think that’s going to be on the menu this week.

For dinners, I’ve been doing whatever Zach and I have planned, with less or no gluten adaptions.  For example, we had pizza yesterday, but instead of going crazy on the pizza like I normally would, I filled a bowl with left over salad and had two very small pieces, not finishing the crust (don’t you worry, I ate the good part).

So this week, my goal is AS LITTLE GLUTEN AS POSSIBLE.  Specifically in the form of processed goods.  After a week and a half of just trying to be more cognizant, I’m already noticing a bit of a difference in my energy and how my lovely gut feels.   I’m very curious if it will continue to get better if/as I get more strict.

I’m hoping that you all will hold me accountable for this, as I know it’s good for me one way or another.   I’ve also considered going strictly lactose free if I don’t think gluten/processed foods are the culprit, so stay tuned!

Anybody else have gluten sensitivities?  What goodies do you enjoy eating?  

Anybody with any other sensitivities? How do you deal?