Hey there! Hump Day’s almost over, and I don’t know if I could be any more excited! I think I feel an after work cocktail calling my name 🙂
Lunch was the same as yesterday: a wheat thin, 2 cups fresh spinach wilted, a Laughing Cow cheese (spread on both sides), and 2 Morningstar black bean burgers.
This is such a great combo! I know I talk about it every day, but seriously it’s face-rocking amazing. You gotta try it!
The rest of the day just kind of flew by, and before I knew it my lunch hour was upon me! I took off on my hour-long walk and ended up going faster and further than usual! I don’t know if it was just me being that awesome (not likely) or the spring weather (much more likely), but it was a great walk today! When I got back to the office I made my new favorite snack:
That’s right, it’s the return of the Pumpkin Yogurt Parfait! This one was 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/3 cup pumpkin, 1 Tbsp cinnamon, and layered with cranberries, GrapeNuts, and mini chocolate chips!
I love that it’s not only tasty but very pretty to look at! I love the texture that the pumpkin adds, and it just tastes sinful even though it’s good for you!
Today I submitted my first proposal for freelance work (YIKES!) and am hoping to hear something back sometime tonight or tomorrow morning! I don’t really want to go into detail unless I get it because it might be something I just write about anyway, but I’ll definitely keep y’all up to date on what’s happening. My hope is that this is the start of something big, but even if it’s not I’m just glad I put myself out there 🙂
There have been several of you who have emailed me and asked me about my “training” on my HPJ page, and are wondering why I choose to walk and not run for my cardiovascular health. There are actually a lot of reasons for this, but first off I want to say that when I first started blogging I became very VERY self-conscious that I was not training for races. I felt very left out and decided at one point to run a marathon because hey, that’s just what you do when you’re a healthy living blogger right? WRONG. THIS healthy living blogger does not run unless the urge just overtakes me and I decide to intermittently run to supplement a walk.
I realize that running is a wonderful means of cardiovascualr exercise, and believe me, I wish I had the love for it that I used to. Unfortunately, when I was running before (I did about 7 miles a day, everyday, for 3 years) I loved it not as a release, but as a way to burn calories. It became all about the number on the treadmill, and I ceased running outdoors at all. When I graduated from college, I no longer had access to a free gym or rec center, so I started walking. Comparitively I was burning far fewer calories, and so I just kind of gave up. This is where the poundage started to creep on, and after I got married I basically stopped working out all together. When I was a personal trainer I did the stairclimber, arc trainer, and elliptical, but never running.
When we moved to Colorado, I started running again outside on a track by our townhome we rented. I started to love it again. But then, 2 months later, I got a desk job and stopped running. Ever since then I’ve gone back and forth about whether or not I like it enough to start up again. I’ve come to the conclusion (after many ankle and knee issues) that it’s simply better for ME to walk.
- I like it better.
- It’s MUCH easier on my joints.
- I’ve stuck with walking longer than I have any other endurance activity.
- It forces me to really pull my core in consciously (as does running, but it works better for me with walking).
- I know that walking is something I will do consistently even when I’m older.
- I have no desire to ever be in any kind of race; I did that twice in 8th grade, and that was enough thank you!
I hope that with your exercise routine you’re doing it because it’s what you love to do, and not because you feel like it’ll make you lose weight faster or fit into a group better (like I thought running would do with my blogging). Your workout is about increasing your health for your whole self (right Katie? :)) and not about fitting into a stereotype!
What do you do when you work out? Why? What drives you? My goal is weight loss, and yes it’s going to take a lot longer to get there just with walking, but I’m thankful to have found something that will not only increase the weight loss, but help me to maintain that for many MANY years to come!
great post! I love that you are honest with yourself and do what YOU want to do, even if it’s not trendy in the blog world. 🙂 one of the most important components in a workout is that you enjoy it!
My first love is running, but I’m actually not running very much these days since I’m teaching classes at the gym everyday. Luckily I enjoy those classes too (cycling and weight training), but I miss running.
first, i LOVE the lighting in your pictures, so beautiful! Second, I run because of the calorie burn. I much prefer walking (and of course, sitting on my butt) but running burns more calories in shorter amount of time. so I do it. You’re making me rethink my non-walking though!
those pumpkin yogurt parfaits get me everytime…..please can I have at least one when I come in about a week!!!!!!!
I LOVE WALKING! I post about walking on my blog quite often. At first I thought it was not exercise. Boy was I mistaken. I lost a whole pants size due to walking. When I run which I do too, my appetite increase and I tend to eat more. WHen I walk that does not happen. Plus it is soooo easy to fit into your life.
Check out walktoday.wordpress.com too.
Love it!
I used to be a runner, too but now, I much prefer yoga and walking. I may get a hankering from time to time for running but my joints don’t like it at all.
I work out because I love it. The fact that it lets me eat the food I want sometimes doesn’t hurt either…
This post never showed up in my reader… Boo 🙁
It’s so important to do whatever exercise works best for you!
What motivates me to exercise to how great I feel when I’m done. The feeling is amazing! I feel healthier and stress-free 🙂
I’m LOVING your yogurt parfaits!
You’re killing me with those parfaits! They look sooo good!
Good luck with the freelance proposal! 🙂
That pumpkin parfait looks awesome!
I loved the post today! I am always telling people to find the exercise they like to do and you will be much more willing to actually do it. If you hate running…don’t. If you hate swimming..don’t. Find what makes you HAPPY and do that! Everyone is different and everyone has different forms of exercise that works for them. Not one is better than the other…it is all about what makes you feel like your best you! 🙂
I love walking AND running, both for very different reasons! Runs are great for that energy high, but on my walks, I get so much THINKING in…they just feel so meditative, even if I’m walking fast. I love them both!
Thanks for the shout-out! 😉 I really love this post. In the past I also became obsessed with running for the sole purpose of burning calories, and it not only took the joy out of exercising but always led to burnout.
I admire you for sticking to your walking routine; it sounds like it’s working for you, and I have no doubt you’ll be able to reach your goals doing it! I have read that out of all possible cardio activities, walking is the one people stick with the most.
Thanks for another inspiring post! 🙂
I just stumbled on your blog tonight and wow!! Amaaazing eats!! That burger and parfait look so so good! Can’t wait to try them 🙂
That parfait could not look much better!
Right now my workouts include running, weight lifting and yoga. I run about 3 times a week (from 2-6 miles at a time), lift weights at least 2 times a week, and do yoga about once a week. I love this plan! It keeps me motivated because I never get bored.
I think it’s great that you are doing what you know is good for YOU!! Walking is awesome!!
I actually love running but it’s not about losing weight for me, it’s about being healthy. I think some people are runners and some are not, such is life. NEVER thought I would be one but I love it, nothing else measures up to me. But I’ve also realized that it is a hard activity, as in hard on your body. And while I can’t do it right now, I will never, ever take it for granted again. Because I love it. And I think that is a sign that a certain type of exercise is right for you, when you appreciate it.
The pumpkin parfait looks fantastic! I want it in front of me right now!
I’ve always really liked using the eliptical machine. But recently I’ve been doing a program that is part walking and part jogging, either on a treadmill or outdoors. I’m doing this program to help me run my first 5K in May.
I think when we find ways to move our body, that can be looked upon as more enjoyment than exercise, we have done well. For some, running is just that. For other, running is not that. Either way is OK. I think exercise is about so much more than burning calories and everyone is different in what makes them feel better.
The sandwich and the pumpkin parfait look delicious! I haven’t been able to find pumpkin around here for awhile, so I am living through bloggers and envying their pumpkin treats! I could not agree with you more on working out. I am so not a runner! I love interval training and kickboxing. Those two things actually get me out of bed and moving. That is what is important!
Good for you! You’ve found something that you enjoy doing and that works for you. That’s why it’s been successful. That parfait looks sooo beautiful. I bet everyone at work was jealous.