Questions for YOU!

Sorry for the absence yesterday, it was a long day at school and I had to choose getting reading done over blogging! Haha - School first!

So the past couple days it's started to get chilly, and last night when I was heading home from school, this had to happen:

The gloves have officially come out! It's just too cold!!!

For yesterday's workout, I took a break from running and headed to the gym! I did a lower body strength training workout, with cardio switched in. This is where I do 10 minutes on the elliptical, 15-20 min strength, 10 min elliptical 15-20 min strength, and then end with 10 minutes of cardio. I love these workouts because it makes the time pass quickly and jumping back and forth keeps my heart rate going!

When I'm doing the weight machines, I usually pick two machines that work different parts of my legs and switch back and forth with no break in between, doing 3 sets on each machine, 15 reps each set. For example, I would switch back and forth between hamstring curls and leg extensions.

When I got back it was time for a shower and then a smoothie! It was a little cold for a smoothie - but I was DYING for one! I guess I want to fit them in before it gets too cold! So I made a delicious Berry Protein Smoothie!

This morning I was awake pretty early... Ok so I was laying there since about 3am. So finally at 5:15 I got up and decided to do my run before yoga (I had planned on doing it after since I was going to a 6:30 class rather than an 8:00 class). However, my garmin foiled my plans! I had intended to run 3 miles but I had to stand there waiting for it to "find" a satellite and it took over 8 minutes! It was ridiculous! I could only fit in 2.41 miles and that was running straight back to my front door!

It was about 50 degrees when I headed out and I sure wish I brought gloves. At least I had the good sense not to head down to the lake front - it was pretty windy! I couldn't read my garmin well when I was running since it was so dark, but I felt like I was flying! Perhaps because I was so numb I couldn't feel a thing! However, I was pretty disappointed and confused to get back and see that my pace was 9.02 min/mile. I was pretty confused because I felt like I'd been really moving!

However, I then plugged in my time and my mileage online, and it told me my pace was 8:45 min/mile! I think I must have done something weird with my Garmin because I looked at it again and it told me I had taken 27 minutes... which I know isn't true because I would have been really late then! Frustrating morning!

But I made it to yoga, and back home, and now it's time for breakfast! I decided I wanted a smoothie, but I was out of bananas, so I came up with a new concoction: Creamy Strawberry Milkshake Smoothie! (lol, I already have a strawberry milkshake smoothie - but this one is better!)

Ingredients
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
approx 1 and 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (I have a big scooper...)
1 tbsp Chia seeds
1/4 tsp xantham gum
1 packet truvia

It really was like a strawberry milkshake! I think the cottage cheese helped with that - and I didn't add spinach so it had such a pretty pink color!

Okay everyone. Brace yourselves. Now I have some questions for you! Clearly I had a somewhat confusing and frustrating morning, so I would LOVE your comments to help me out!

1. Has anyone else had trouble sleeping in the past? I fall asleep fine but then wake up practically every hour and by about 4 - that's it. I'm awake for good! I've been like this for a week and it's getting exhausting! Suggestions? I tried Melatonin one night but it didn't help at all! 


2. Have any of you had trouble getting your Garmin's GPS to work? Is this a city thing? I bought it because my iPhone's GPS wasn't working and now I'm frustrated that it's just as bad! 


3. How do you feel about blogger? I've been wanting to switch to wordpress because someone told me it's easier for people to comment. Any thoughts from other bloggers (or commenters) out there? Also, I tried switching with instructions to keep my permalinks - but couldn't figure it out! Help! 


4. What exciting plans do you all have for the weekend?!? I'm lucky enough to not have classes Friday, so mine starts tomorrow! 

Please leave comments - I would really appreciate your feedback!

I've Been Upgraded!

So, remember all those runs I went on?


Where my iPhone kept loosing connection?


And refusing to follow me on GPS so I knew my pace or distance?


And I got really frustrated?


Well it's all over now because something arrived in the mail yesterday!!!

MY NEW GARMIN!!!!!

However, there was some serious irony in my first garmin run. I stood outside for 8 minutes waiting for it to find the satellite... SERIOUSLY??!?! At least it didn't bail on me 5 minutes into the run!

My run this morning was pretty brutal - I knew my legs were sore from strength training yesterday and they ended up feeling like lead the entire time, I just couldn't get into a groove! The wind sure didn't help either - I choose the lakefront and that was a bad idea. I was running straight into very strong wind for part of it, and had sand blowing all over me! I had to switch over to the park when I got a chance, but that threw me off because I wasn't sure where I was going! Oh well, got in my 4 miles and not too bad of a pace!

4.01 miles in 35:27 for an 8:50 min/mile pace!

When I got home it was time for a shower, getting ready for classes, and breakfast!

In the mix: 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 1 packet of truvia and 1 scoop strawberry protein powder. Yes, strawberry protein powder. I ran out of my vanilla and haven't had a chance to get more. I'm actually not a fan of the strawberry, but I really wanted a smoothie today!

could not get this image to turn sideways....

A couple weeks ago I wrote a post about diet trends and discussed how everyone has their own needs, and different things work best for different people. Recently, I've been adding more carbs into my diet, since both my nutritionist asked me to, and it's necessary for running! Doing this got me thinking a lot about the gluten free "diet" that some people opt to do, even if they don't have an allergy to wheat.

Source

I had never heard of the concept of being “gluten-free” until one of my very good friends started having a lot of digestive problems and eventually cut gluten out of her diet, finding that she had Celiac disease, meaning that her body was allergic to gluten, which is found in most wheat, barley and rye products. Whether it’s due to better diagnosis, or just a higher number of cases for other reasons, more and more people are discovering that they also have Celiac. This increase in Celiac has caused a greater need for gluten-free products and many food companies, as well as restaurants, have risen to the occasion.

However, many people are now choosing to eat gluten-free because they believe it helps them to lose weight. As you all know, I believe that eating natural foods and foods that are best for your personal diet and lifestyle is the best way to go. However, I thought I would investigate this recent food trend to see if it’s really better for your health, and your waistline, to eat gluten-free when you don’t have to due to celiac.

One article from Health.com looked at three claims made by those who choose to go gluten free. The first claim is that you may lose some weight by cutting out high-fat baked goods. However, this is due to cutting out calories and fat, not gluten. Also, there’s currently no science indicating that replacing gluten food with non-gluten food with the same calorie count will help with weight loss.

Another claim is that by not eating grains with gluten, you will then eat more filling whole grains that don’t have gluten. However, some of those non-gluten whole grains actually have less fiber, so it depends on which grains you choose.

Source

The last claim is that people feel more energetic on a gluten free diet, however this may be due to the fact that they are cutting back on total food intake. The article found that while going gluten-free may give you a diet jump start, it’s not meant for long-term weight-loss.

Another article from Huffington Post found that although going on a gluten-free diet may help people lose weight or feel healthier, it’s due to cutting out starching, processed foods or limiting carbohydrates, rather than having to do with avoiding gluten.

Gluten-free is a must for those with celiac, but if you don’t have the disease then the diet is more of a trend, and not necessarily a weight loss tool. Going gluten-free is definitely not harmful if that’s the best choice for you, your lifestyle and your body, but the point of this article is that it isn’t a proven weight loss method. So if that's your only reason for going gluten free, you might want to find another weight-loss avenue!

What are your feelings on a gluten-free diet? Have you had any positive experiences with cutting out gluten?