The BAD and UGLY of training for the Salt Lake Half

Today was my long run. It was only 6 miles because this is a recovery week - but it was not pretty.

Watch my Periscope on YouTube

Newest member of Tina's 18 Day Challenge

My friend from College - my first roommate - has joined Tina's 18 day challenge. I am so excited for her. She has been asking me questions - which I love to answer. Yesterday was her birthday and she said "this is the best birthday present ever!" She doesn't even know the half of it! Can't wait to share in her journey.

Vegan Ding Dongs - gluten free and dairy free and sugar free

I adapted this recipe from neuroticmommy.com

Cake:

1 c. gluten free flour

1/3 c. cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

1-1/2 T. corn starch

1/3 c. melted coconut oil

1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce (original recipe had regular applesauce)

2 tsp. vanilla

1/3 c. stevia (cup for cup kind) (original recipe used maple syrup)

1/2 c. pitted medjool dates

1/3 c. water

1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk

preheat oven to 350. spray 8 inch round cake pan with non stick cooking spray. 

Whisk together dry ingredients in one bowl: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cornstarch.

In another bowl whisk together all wet ingredients: coconut oil, applesauce, vanilla extract, almond milk and date paste. Date paste is made by blending the 1/2 c. dates with 1/3 c. water in a food processor.

Fold wet ingredients in with the dry until well combined.

Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

When fully cooked remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

COCONUT CREAM

1 can of full fat coconut cream, left in the fridge overnight

2 T. stevia (original recipe used maple syrup)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Scoop out cream and place in a bowl along with the stevia and vanilla. Use the leftovr water for smoothies. Whip that up, nice and creamy. I used a hand mixer.

DARK CHOCOLATE COATING

1 isadelight per ding dong

1/4 tsp coconut oil per isadelight

(could use dark chocolate pieces, probably 1 cup and 1/4 c. coconut oil)

TO ASSEMBLE:

Use a circle cookie cutter to cut circles from cake. I scooped out the middle of the cake, filled it with cream, then topped with pieces of the cake I scooped out, put in freezer to get them firm before covering with chocolate. Either dip in chocolate or spread chocolate over cake.

Family analysis - not too bad. Somewhat difficult to make. The cake isn't light and fluffy. If you weren't going for gluten free - you could use whole wheat flour. 

Fun way to spend a Sunday - experimenting and baking. 

8 mile run. I did it!

Watch my periscope on my youtube channel. So amazed that I did it! I also posted a video of my run that is only 1 minute. Click here!

Update on training - LSD tomorrow

Watch my periscope on youtube.

Keep tapping the video to get 2016 hearts so we can see a 2016 icon.

Learned something new today!

Watch it on my you tube channel - http://youtu.be/jtigJNs7Z20

Energy Bus Salt Lake Half Training

Read the book The Energy Bus! I applied it in my life yesterday and I feel good!

Click here to watch my periscope.

I did it! 6 Miles!

Did you see it?? I did it! 6 miles! Awesome!! #saltlake #half #training #amped #ampedmultisport #nutrition #lovemylifepath #YouHaveToTryThis

Click here to watch it on YouTube

Why I Chose Tina's 18 Day Challenge

I didn't save my periscope so that I could publish the video on YouTube - so I will have to type out why I chose Tina's 18 Day Challenge.

It took 4 months of my sister telling me about her weight loss and her energy and what she was doing with these really yummy shakes and her cleanse days. And then I would ask about what "real" food she was eating to make sure she was eating enough calories. It was when she told me how much she weighed that I finally said "I want to do that." I didn't do any research to see what was in the shakes - soy, what kind of whey, artificial sweeteners, sucralose, artificial colors or flavors. Or what was involved in the cleanse day. All I knew was - the results that my sister got and I wanted it to.

Now I know there are SO MANY PROGRAMS you could choose from - I know what is SOOOO GOOD about what I am doing and what is SOOOOO BAD about what some other programs. But really - is someone going to do the research to know why they should do one or the other - NO - they are going to try a program because they relate to results that someone else got. 

At work, one person is trying a 24 day cleanse with advocare. I know what Advocare is - but he doesn't. He is with a group of guys and his brother and they are challenging together. He didn't know what is in the shake, the spark drink has tons of caffeine, he has to take lots of pills, etc. 

Also at work there are couple girls doing MD diet. One has done that diet before and got results fast - restricts her calories, limits the foods she eats, is hungry, suffers a bit at first because she cut sugar out of her diet, she is tired. She doesn't realize that she is slowing down her metabolism. She is just worried about the number on the scale.

So basically - I GOT LUCKY! I got lucky that I chose a good program. Probably if I had been told about advocare or MD diet - I would have tried that too. But what I tried - it is the best - and the longer I do it - the more I learn - the luckier I feel that I chose this lifestyle!

Week 2 Day 3 Salt Lake Half Training

Had to find my max heart rate again today

My Story

These are my pictures: Before - 30 days - 1 year later

In April I will post my pictures at 2 years. What this is showing is a lifestyle. This is not a fad diet that you gain the weight back. It is easy to live. I feel great. I enjoy life. I love to share. Below is my story - stay tuned for my story at my "2 years of health anniversary".

Let me tell you MY STORY. I had done years and years of 6 weeks rounds of a fitness boot camp. We were given a nutrition plan to follow where we would weigh and measure and balance protein/fat/carbs and count calories. It was exhausting - I was always starving - I craved brownies - I worked out like a crazy woman - BUT it worked! When the 6 weeks was done - I would have amazing results. Then we would have 3 weeks off and I would have my brownies and other food not permitted while doing boot camp. We would start back up with boot camp - and I would be back to where I started from day one of the last boot camp. I tried and tried to make it my lifestyle, but I couldn't find that balance. My sister was doing another nutritional program and would talk to me about it for 4 months before I finally decided to try it. I was "off" boot camp - because I didn't want this program to mess with the results that I get at boot camp - basically I didn't believe it would work. Remember when I finished boot camp I was at the fittest and leanest that I ever would get. That was my start for this program. On day 5 - I had lost 5.4 lbs, I had so much energy, I wasn't starving and tired, and I didn't have to work out so hard. At the end of 18 days - I went to weigh in for boot camp. I was down 9+ lbs, 3.5 inches and 3% body fat from when I ended the last boot camp. Now those numbers don't sound astronomical, but you have to remember that when I started the program that I was already lean. I just got leaner!! Boot camp trainer said, "What the hell have you been doing?" He wasn't used to me improving while being "off boot camp". I told him and he was impressed! The picture above shows me at the start of my journey with boot camp. The middle shows me after doing this new nutrition plan for one month. The last picture shows me after 1 year. This is a lifestyle. I can enjoy life and stay on track. I don't have to count, measure, weigh, balance, starve. I LOVE IT!!!

Week 2 Day 2 Salt Lake Half Training

CLICK HERE to Watch my periscope on my You Tube Channel

Warm up on Elliptical

Kettle bell workout (first move with kettle bell - second move body weight only)

50 kettle bell swings - 50 traveling burpees

50 renegade rows - 50 jumping jacks

50 squat with upright row - 50 toe taps on box

50 step back lunges with overhead press - 50 leap frogs

50 single arm row - 100 walking lunges

50 situps with kettle bell - 50 walking pushups

core work

stretch

10 weeks of training

Watch my periscope for today's training experience.

https://www.periscope.tv/w/aYjtLjYyMzk2NjJ8MURYeHlQcXdEYXZKTezwu27CZGoYEeSWmZc9HP_6X93SZOz1xFSzBdgQ9col

My workout today: 

1 mile warm up (I was at 5-5.5 speed)

1/4 mile hard as you can (I was at 8.5)

1/4 mile recover

1/4 mile hard (9.0 for me)

1/4 mile recover

1/4 mile hard (9.0 for me)

Take heart rate (184)

1/4 mile recover and 1/2 mile cool down

Super Bowl Nachos

All part of my nutrition 

Super Bowl Clean Eating Nachos

Taco Seasoned Chicken

6 oz chicken breast
1/2 tsp chile powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Line large baking sheet with foil and mist with cooking spray, place
chicken on foil and mist with cooking spray or brush with olive oil.
Sprinkle with chile powder, salt, and black pepper evenly on both
sides. Broil 5-8 minutes per side.

Tortilla Chips

10 6-inch no GMO corn tortillas, cut into 6 wedges
1-1/2 tsp. chile powder

Line 2 baking sheets with foil and mist with cooking spray. Arrange
tortillas in single layer and mist with cooking spray. Sprinkle with
chile powder. Bake 14-15 minutes, turning tortilla chips halfway
through. They will crisp up as they cool.

Pico de Gallo

2 tomatoes chopped
2 jalapeno peppers chopped
1/2 white onion chopped
1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves chopped
juice of 2 limes
1/4 tsp sea salt

Combine tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, cilantro, lime juice and sea salt.

Black Beans

1-2 tsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic
15 oz unsalted black beans
1-2 tsp hot sauce (Tessemae's all natural hot sauce)
1/4 tsp sea salt

In saucepan heat olive oil. Add garlic and cook/stir for 1 minute. Add
beans with liguid. Stir to bubbling. Stir in hot sauce and sea salt.
Remove from heat and mash until desired consistency.

NACHOS

10 chips topped with chicken
pico de gallo
1/4 c. black beans
1/4 c. mexican cheese blend
1/2 fresh avocado or guacamole
plain greek yogurt
jalapeno
green onions
cilantro

Top chips with desired garnishes.

What is my nutrition? Periscope

Click here to watch my periscope on You Tube

LSD Run - Week 1

First Long Slow Distance run of my training - 5 miles. Click here to watch my periscope.

Just had a 2 day nutritional cleanse.

6 am shake with greens

7:30 am Power drink and eshot

8:00 am run on treadmill 5 miles. warm up for 1/2 mile 5.0 pace then 6.0 for the rest of the miles.
felt fine. I was distracted by the lady next to me. It is very hard for me to get distracted while I run. At mile 1 I had to go pee! I endured through the run - maybe peed my pants a little - but it just looks like sweat :) and there was no one behind me. While I was running I took 2 sips of my hydrate drink every mile. It was my reward :) I felt fine during my run. I wasn't winded or tired or wishing I could get off.

9:00 am or so stretch stretch stretch. I always forget how important that is. Had my super yummy protein shake and recovery drink.

3 Points to Note

Periscope of my Salt Lake Half Training

This is for everyone!

The nutrition plan I do is for everyone! Watch my video

Getting Lots of Support for my half - protein shake for lunch

Watch my Periscope

If you follow me on facebook (Carey Biggs Underwood) or Instagram (@candid93) you will see me post pictures of my "supporters". So many people are excited for me to run this half - either because they aren't having to run or because they are runners and love it! Love the support - It will pull me through!