I am NOT a morning person....and, MUSIC MONDAY! (on Tuesday)

Yesterday marked the beginning of the youngest kiddo's third week back to school. Being a notorious night owl I find myself, quite predictably, dragging, lagging, and almost forcibly having to drag myself out of bed in the mornings. Since Kiddo's bus picks up prior to 7AM this had made getting a healthy breakfast crammed down his throat a difficult, and sometimes dangerous (Seriously, me operating a stovetop BEFORE coffee? That is the definition of dangerous!), activity.

In typical Super!Jenn fashion I turned to my ever trusty companions, Google and Pinterest, to save myself from possible dismemberment and death. The result? CROCKPOT BREAKFASTS!! I am LOVING some of these ideas that I've found lately. This morning's treat du jour? Apple Pie Breakfast...which was actually HEALTHY! Steel cut oats, apples, 100% apple juice, and water. A sprinkle of brown sugar in each bowl and MMMMMMMMMM!

A little side note, though: I read a lot of comments left by people whose oatmeal burned and/or hardened. To circumvent this I used my crockpot as a double boiler. Prepare the ingredients in a bowl that will sit easily inside your crockpot. Place either a couple of balls of foil or a canning jar ring in the bottom of the crock pot, sit the bowl inside, fill the crock pot with water until a little over half of the bowl is submerged. Then just cook overnight, and VOILA!

Oh, and if you want to follow me over on Pinterest feel free...just click here and I'll whisk you to my boards straight away!

Now for my Music Monday Tuesday. (See? I told you I was dragging and lagging!) Did you know that ZZ Top released a new album in June? *nods* Yep! I love these guys! Sure, their music is predictable, but you know what else? It's predictably GOOD. Here's one of the songs from Texicali (the new album)..."I Gotsta Get Paid". Oh, and the album is less than $5 over on iTunes, so go BUY it already!!

Couch to 5K - Week 1 Day 3

I DID IT!! I finished the first week, and with no injuries to speak of!!!

I had originally planned on doing the third day on Thursday, but made plans to go to my parents house and clean the hardwood floors of their downstairs. Yeah, that was enough of a workout, don't you think? Moving furniture, dust mopping, regular mopping, steam mopping, and THEN moving said furniture back into place. Friday was another bust, as my allergies were protesting my Thursday activities and I spent the majority of the day in a Benadryl coma. This morning, though, I decided nothing was going to stop me. I got up, had some coffee, did the dishes, threw my sheets in the washer, and hit the treadmill.

Today's workout was much easier for the first half. I also managed to job all 8 segments at 4.5MPH! For my cooldown I managed 3 minutes at 3MPH and the last 2 minutes at 2.5MPH. After I had completed the fist 6 jogging segments I was pretty sure I was going to die right then, but I kept pushing. Boy, am I glad I did! I'm dog tired now, but I'm SO happy with myself. I think, for a first week of a new program, I did pretty damn good.

Next week starts a 90 second jogs separated by 2 minute walks. Am I nervous? You betcha! Am I going to let it stop me? Hell, NO! I can already tell a huge difference in my energy level, even with my current stay in Allergy Hell I feel better, AND I've lost a pound and a half. Motivation, thy name is results...at least in this case!

Couch To 5K....the Beginning

I started the Couch to 5K program this morning. I snagged the free app for my iPhone, dropped the treadmill down, and set to work. I'd like to say that I enjoyed it, but let's get real. It's exercise. I may be brash and uncouth, but I do NOT like to sweat...unless it involves working in my garden in the sunshine. The point, however, is not to enjoy the exercise, but to force myself to do it because it is necessary for my health. Hopefully I can keep to that fact until the time comes that I DO enjoy it.

I've mentioned before that I totally suck at taking care of myself. I acknowledge this. I'm not talking about the way I eat...I'm not too shabby in that department. Sure I have a weakness for Krispy Kremes, but I only give in to that weakness 5-6 times a year. I've been a vegetarian for over a year now, so my diet consists mainly of vegetables and fruits and I always choose whole or multi grain products. I'm talking about taking care of my body, my skin, my hair, my nails, my psyche. Those are what I put on the back burner. Then I find myself sitting like a blob, feeling depressed, wondering why I'm not happy with myself. Publicly admitting this huge flaw is my way of forcing myself to do something about it. I'm constantly nagging the youngest kiddo to exercise...while I'm sitting on the couch. Huh? Yeah, like that's  going to work.

So, Week 1 Day 1. I started out with a 5 minute warm-up at 3MPH. Brisk for a beginner, a snail's pace for someone fit. The workout is spread into eight 60 second jogging segments, and seven 90 second walking segments. I got through the first 2 jogs at 4.5MPH, but felt like I was about to die when it got to the third. I dropped to 4.3MPH for it, then 4MPH for the last four. Not athlete quality, but I got through it and I was PROUD of myself! The walking segments I maintained at 3MPH. The 5 minute cool down was 2 1/2 minutes at 2.5MPH and 2 1/2 minutes at 2MPH. At the half-way point I really doubted that I was going to make it through. I found myself thinking, "It's okay to just walk through the next jogging segment." That brought my up short. What. The. Hell?! I have NEVER been a quitter. As a matter of fact I've always been quite happy to prove anyone who said I couldn't do something wrong. Yet, there I am, telling myself to go ahead and quit. SCREW THAT! I pushed myself through. Reducing speed, yes, but still jogging...and you know what? That feeling of defeat left. When I got to jogging segment 6 of 8 I told myself I could do it. By the next to the last segment I believed I could do it. When the final jogging segment ended? I always knew I would do it. I felt great! Sweaty, yet accomplished. Exhausted, yet exhilarated. Shaky, yet standing strong.

The program is just 3 days a week, so I'm off until Tuesday. I'll spend tomorrow telling myself that I. Did. This. Because I did, and I need to focus on that in order to force myself to continue doing it.

And Now For Something Completely Different!

Bonus points for anyone who got a giggle from that title :D

I'm a little bored of posting my food journal here every day. I mean, it's kind of redundant, as I also post it daily on Fitting It In. By the way, if you're on a health journey like me and aren't on Fitting It In, yet get on the ball! It's a wonderful place filled with motivation and nudges.

So, I was making lunch today and was reheating some of last night's leftover turkey tacos to nosh on. As I was sprinkling liberal amounts of cilantro on top of them I found myself wondering just what, if anything, cilantro could do for a body. Just what were the health benefits of this tasty herb? A little internet searching unearthed a mountain of information, and let me tell you, this little herb packs a punch!

According to healthdiaries.com, cilantro has been shown to do the following:

1. Protect against the Salmonella bacteria
2. Reportedly works as a natural chelation treatment (this is heavy metal detox - I had to look it up, as well!)
3. Aids in digestion and helps settle the stomach and prevent flatulence
4. Is an anti-inflammatory that may alleviate symptoms of arthritis
5. Protects against urinary tract infections
6. Prevents nausea
7. Relieves intestinal gas
8. Lowers blood sugar
9. Lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) and raises good cholesteraol (HDL)
10. A good source of dietary fiber
11. A good source of iron
12. A good source of magnesium
13. Rich in phytonutrients and flavonoids

I mean, WOW! Who knew it was such a hard little worker? Needless to say, I'm going to be sprinkling as often as I want now - how about you?