I'm an illustrator and graphic designer living in Los Angeles, training for my first marathon, and working towards a healthier lifestyle. I hope to inspire others to live healthier lives by sharing what I learn along the way!
I’ve read numerous articles recommending the use of a foam roller to get at the difficult-to-stretch IT band– which is often the culprit of knee pain in runners! My dad used to be a serious marathon runner, and he has already had TWO knee-replacement surgeries! That makes injury-prevention EXTRA-important to me. I know how bad it can get!!
As I’ve discussed here before, I try to prevent injuries by:
1. Following the Jeff Galloway run/walk method when I train. By taking brief walking breaks during my runs, I’m giving my muscles a chance to recover before they get injured by repetitive pounding!
2. Ice Baths.After all of my long runs, and even after some of my shorter runs, I make sure to ice my feet and ankles in an ice bath. (I just fill my kitchen sink with ice water and dunk my feet in!) As my runs get longer, I will probably start incorporating full lower-body ice baths– but those sound scary!! And COLD! I’m not quite as brave as this lady… yet.
1. Roll back and forth across the painful or stiff area for 60 seconds.
2. Spend extra time directly over the knot or trigger point itself.
3. Roll the injured area two to three time a day. For prevention of injuries, two to three times a week is recommended.
4. Avoid rolling over bony areas.
5. Always stretch the area following foam rolling.
Here’s the IT Band stretch I’ve been doing:
Lie sideways with the foam roller under the side of your thigh. Roll between your knee and your hip bone. Spend extra time on the more tender areas you encounter. Use your top leg and foot against the ground to decrease the force if you cannot tolerate the pressure initially. After a few days of rolling, your IT Band will loosen up and you should be able to tolerate full pressure (feet together off the ground). [source]
I’ve got a busy day ahead of me, including going to a KU watching party here in Los Angeles! I love that there are so many KU alumni in this city! It helps that we have such a good basketball team, too! Rock Chalk!!Then we’ve got a new episode of The Bachelor to look forward to! I love seeing the hometown visits! I have to say, this season is way more gripping than I expected it to be…
Alright, I’m off to do a quick 30-minute training run. That should be a breeze after 9-miles, right?
Hope you all have a good night! Happy Bachelor-watching!!!!
*Please note: My blog is now self-hosted, so please update your bookmarks and/or Google Reader to http://healthyhoggin.com. Thanks!!
Happy Sunday!! Sorry I’ve been away for most of the weekend– I’ve been working on my “Extreme Blog Makeover!” What do you think?
My Sunday started off with a 9-mile run on the “dread”mill. It was a LONG time to be on a treadmill, but luckily I had a good Lifetime movie called The Perfect Assistant, to keep my mind occupied. I love finding movies to watch when I’m going to be running for over an hour– otherwise I become too aware of just how long I’ve been running! I feel like I’m still not quite prepared for my long runs each Sunday, so I’m going to try to kick up my cross-training this week! Hopefully 10 miles won’t be quite so painful next week. Yikes!!
I realized that I ran longer today than I’ve ever run before! Before this morning, the longest I had ever run was 8 miles. Sweet!!
After our long run, my husband and I were feeling really beat– we’ve pretty much spent the rest of the day on the couch! Good thing the Superbowl was on, so we had a good excuse to be couch potatoes.
We don’t typically watch football, but we do love watching the Superbowl! Maybe if we had a team to cheer for on a regular basis, we’d watch football more often, but our “home team” isn’t good enough to make it on network TV out here in California! Oh, well… I guess that’s one less show that we have to watch.
What did you all think of the commercials this year? I noticed that there were a lot less car commercials this year than in previous years… maybe they wanted to lay low with all the Toyota recalls? When I was little, my brother and I always “bet” on whether there would be more beer or truck commercials during the Superbowl– and it was always really close! I didn’t notice that this year…
My favorite commercial was probably the Google commercial, “Parisian Love:”
Maybe it’s because we went to Paris for our honeymoon, so it holds a special place in my heart.
I was surprised to see Google advertise at all! That’s one company that really doesn’t need to advertise, in my opinion… I use Google practically everyday as it is!!
Okay, I’m off to finish the last DVD of Damages with my hubby– we are addicted!! If you haven’t watched Damages yet, I highly recommend it! It’s one of the smartest, most gripping shows on television!!
I just wanted to let you all know that my little bloggy is going through some changes today– I’m switching over to being self-hosted! So if the blog is down for a bit today, that’s why!
Hopefully I’ll be up and running soon! (Wish me luck, I’m doing this by myself!!) Gulp.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts washed and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch cubes
4 cups vegetable stock
Spike seasoning, to taste
Making this soup was really easy! Start by heating the olive oil, onions and leeks in a 4-qt. soup pot, over medium heat:
Cook for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the garlic, and cook for one more minute. Then, add the potatoes and vegetable broth:
Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
Then comes the fun part! Using an immersion hand blender, puree the soup until it is smooth and creamy.
Before:
After:
Using an immersion hand blender is SO much easier than trying to transfer the soup in batches to a traditional blender. I’ve done that in the past, and it was a mess! If you don’t have an immersion hand blender of your own, stay tuned to my blog next week! You might have one sooner than you think.
Season the soup to taste, then serve immediately. We rounded out the meal with some roasted broccoli and garlic toast.
Mmm, mmm, good!
I’ve got a training run in my future this afternoon, then we’re excited to see Dear Johntonight! Has anyone else noticed that Nicholas Sparks has a tendency to kill-off at least one of his romantic leads in all of his stories?! I wonder if the movie tonight will continue the tradition…
Well, I’ve already had a wrench thrown into my February Challenge this week! While I know I shouldn’t let random life circumstances get in the way of my healthy lifestyle goals, I still seem to struggle with emotional eating. And, in this case, emotional drinking:
Yep, I broke my streak and gave into the coffee-monster. It was just one of those days, you know?
What news could possibly cause me to fall off the wagon so soon?
Well, the other night we found out my husband is going to be traveling in Europe with his boss for 6 weeks! That’s a long time!! The longest my husband and I have ever gone without seeing each other is 2 weeks, and that seemed LONG. And in that instance, I was the one doing the traveling! I’m never the one who is left at home.
This is an AMAZING opportunity for him. Who gets to travel around Europe AND get paid for it?? This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and he’s going to take advantage of it! But it doesn’t mean we’re not bummed about being away from each other for so long…
That being said, I have a feeling this time apart will make us appreciate each other even more, and will be a good thing in the long run. I’m excited about feeling independent and taking some time to work on myself! I’ve got lots of ideas running around in my head on how to spend my free time, so we’ll see what I end up doing.
I’ve got less than two weeks to appreciate my hubby while I’ve got him, so we’re going to make the most of it! Currently, we’re spending lots of nights on our couch catching up on last season’s Damages and Big Love. (Gotta love Netflix!)
I also feel the urge to make him lots of tasty homemade dinners and treats while I have him… that ever happen to anyone else?
Reader Feedback:How long have you ever been apart from your loved ones? Do you think it helped your relationship and/or yourself? How did you spend your time apart?
The past two days, I’ve been having MAJOR pizza cravings. The first week of getting “back on track” is always the hardest for me, but luckily, I’ve got a detox-friendly recipe that totally hit the spot! (and it’s quick, too!)
6-oz bag of fresh spinach
Splash of water
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup high-quality marinara sauce
1 ounce raw cheddar-style goat cheese Sea salt, dried basil and oregano, to taste
In a 3-qt. saute pan over medium heat, add the garlic, water and spinach.
Cover for 1-2 minutes, until the spinach is bright green and wilted:
Add the marinara, and cook until hot and bubbly. Transfer to a serving bowl, and immediately top with shredded raw goat cheese:
This was pure heaven. So decadent and rich, with all the pizza-flavors I was craving– yet, properly combined so it will digest seamlessly! This served one hungry me, but could probably serve two as a side dish.
The only change I’d make for next time is omitting the water used to cook the spinach. You could use the marinara sauce instead, reducing the moisture content so it would be more pizza/pasta like.
Last night’s episode waseverything I expected it to be– it answered some questions, but ended up leaving me with more than I started with! Isn’t that always the case with this show? I’m so excited to see how the last season plays out– will they ever answer ALL of our questions?!
In celebration of LOST, the husband and I wanted to have a special dinner. His first request? Some fresh pineapple!
I had my serving of pineapple as a post-workout snack after my 30-minute run– so it was on an empty stomach, and didn’t interfere with my food combining for dinner. It was so sweet and juicy! I forgot how much I love pineapple.
My husband wanted to have some sort of “cheat meal” for dinner, but I didn’t want to go too overboard… so we settled on veggie burgers with homemade spicy fries! Since I prefer to avoid soy products, I was adventurous with a new-to-me veggie patty:
I’ll pretty much eat Indian-spiced-anything! YUM. What I loved about these patties, is that they’re potato-based, vegan and soy-free.
There are a couple ingredients in there that are less-than-desirable, but overall, I felt okay eating these for our splurge night. I grilled it in my cast iron pan over the stove, until it was warm and crispy, then served it over a bed of mixed greens:
Along with some homemade oven fries and organic ketchup! I ended up squeezing some mustard on top of my burger, too. I love mustard. Overall, it was an awesome meal.
And for dessert:
Some72% dark chocolate. I gave myself two squares, but for some reason I only ate one! Somehow LOST was just that captivating– enough for me to forget about chocolate! That doesn’t happen very often.
Gotta get back to work, but I’ll be back later with a yummy pizza-like recipe!
Anyone else excited for the season premiere of LOST?! I can’t believe it’s finally here!! My husband got me into the show a few years ago, and now we’re addicted! If you’ve never watched it, make sure you don’t just jump in at the middle–you have to watch every episode from the beginning– or you’ll be confused as heck! We still get confused at times.
Last night, we celebrated our first “Bad Movie Monday.” My brother-in-law wanted to start this Monday night tradition, where we watch only the WORST of the worst movies ever made. Sounds fun, huh? Last night, we struck bad-movie gold with Deadline.
Not only was this the slowest moving movie ever, the story was seriously lacking! What was really sad, was seeing how sickly Brittany Murphy looked! I’m not sure if this was the last movie she made before her death, but you can tell that something was off. We all found her appearance to be very distracting throughout the movie! Overall, the movie would not be something I’d recommend. Unless, of course, you’re hosting your own Bad Movie Monday!
Fortunately, last night’s dinner was much better than the movie we watched.
A simple green salad and roasted sweet potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, and onion. I went back for seconds of the roasted veggies! They’re just SO tasty seasoned with Spike seasoning.
And while watching The Bachelor, I satisfied my sweet tooth with some dark chocolate:
I love Trader Joe’s 72% Dark Chocolate bars! They’re really affordable, and last me a week! Plus, they’re so rich that two pieces totally satisfy me. YUM.
Can anyone believe that Vienna is still on The Bachelor?! What the heck? I think the final 3 girls will be Tenley, Ali, and Gia, but you never know what kind of surprises they might throw at us! I have to say, I’m thoroughly enjoying this season, and I love that my husband loves it, too!
This morning, I started Day 2 of my February Challenge with my little “Morning Insurance Policy“
Fresh juice! I feel like starting my day off with fresh vegetable juice ensures that I’m filling my body with the nutrition it needs, and setting myself up for a healthy day. Drinking this does kind of feel like “health insurance.”
Check out all the fresh produce I stuffed in today’s juice:
A head of romaine, purple kale, one beet, one lemon, and one golden delicious apple. This created a very TART juice! I had to use my straw trick: stick a straw in the juice, aim it at the back of my throat, and gulp it down quickly so that I don’t taste it very much! Works great every time. After all, fresh juice begins to lose enzymes quickly, so I might as well chug it!
I don’t know about you all, but Mondays are always full of motivation for me. There’s something about having a fresh start to a new week, that makes me want to be really healthy! But, maybe that’s just me…
I’m off to a GREAT start with my February Challenge! Breakfast was chock-full of nutrients:
This morning’s juice contained a head of romaine lettuce, a bunch of kale, one beet, one small lemon, and a green apple. It wasn’t my best-tasting juice ever, but I gulped it all down– and instantly felt energized!
And instead of coffee this morning, I’ve had two cups of green tea:
I’m really, really trying to give up coffee! I would like to get to the point where I can enjoy an occasional cup of coffee, but not need it to get going in the mornings… green tea seems like a good transition for now.
Sipping that green tea has gotten me through to lunch without a caffeine withdrawal headache! Whew!
Lunch was a HUGE salad:
An entire bag of mixed greens, a whole avocado, 1/2 a chopped zucchini, 1/4 cup grated carrots, and 1/2 a grapefruit, all dressed with some fresh lemon juice and liquid stevia. This took a while to eat! I finished off the meal with some (un-pictured) steamed broccoli.
As effective as it can be to eat raw until dinner, I’m going to include a bit of cooked food with my lunches for now, to make sure my body doesn’t detox too quickly! I’m trying to avoid detox symptoms, like stomach cramps, headaches and acne! I’ve experienced those in the past from being overly ambitious with my diet. Since I want to make this a lifestyle change, I’m in no rush this time around.
The rest of my day is looking pretty laid back! I’m going to do a Yogalosophy workout, then I’m pretty much stuck in my house– there’s a robbery suspect on the loose in our neighborhood! Yikes!! I’m not leaving my apartment until I hear that he’s caught!
Anyone else excited about The Bachelor tonight? I really love how Jake is eliminating so many women! I wonder what kind of twists will be next?!
In celebration of the month of LOVE, I invite you all to join me in LOVINGourselves! I don’t know about you all, but I’ve been letting my New Year’s resolutions slide lately… but not anymore! February is a new month and an opportunity for a fresh start! After all, I am no good to the ones I LOVE if I’m not taking care of myself first!
With this in mind, I’m challenging myself to eating clean, nutrient-packed meals for the next 28 days. I’ve heard it takes 21 days to form a habit, so I’m throwing in the extra week for good measure.
Here are my “Challenge” guidelines:
Start the day with a green juice or a green smoothie.It’s always easier to eat healthy when you start your day off on the right foot! Filling my body with fresh enzymes gives me energy and motivation for a good day!
Don’t combine protein and starches at any given meal.I know, I know. We’ve all heard to combine protein, carbs and fat to feel “fuller’ longer, right? I was skeptical at first, too. But proper food combining really does work for weight loss! If you are craving sweet potatoes, eat them with a large raw salad topped with avocado, as well as some steamed or roasted veggies. If fish or chicken sounds more appealing for a meal, pair it with a raw salad and cooked non-starchy vegetables. Be sure to wait 3-4 hours for your previous meal to digest, before switching categories!
Get some sort of exercise everyday.Since I’m training for my marathon, I’ve got this part pretty well covered. I do want to work on squeezing in some strength training, though! I’ll be doing Jillian Michael’s 30-Day Shred, as well as my new Yogalosophy DVD.
Detox, detox, detox. I’ll be rebounding, skin brushing and sweating as much as possible! According to Natalia Rose, waste = weight. So I want to get the waste OUT of my body!
*If you are interested in learning more about detoxing or food combining, I highly recommend you check out The Raw Food Detox Diet and Detox 4 Women, both by Natalia Rose. These books have greatly influenced my outlook on health and diet, and I feel more informed to make healthy choices since reading them!
No matter what your goals are, I hope you will all join me in LOVING yourselves this month, too!
Reader Feedback:What are your goals for the month? If you made New Year’s resolutions, how are you doing with them so far?
Lie sideways with the foam roller under the side of your thigh. Roll between your knee and your hip bone. Spend extra time on the more tender areas you encounter. Use your top leg and foot against the ground to decrease the force if you cannot tolerate the pressure initially. After a few days of rolling, your IT Band will loosen up and you should be able to tolerate full pressure (feet together off the ground). [source]
It helps that we have such a good basketball team, too! Rock Chalk!! Then we’ve got a new episode of The Bachelor to look forward to! I love seeing the hometown visits! I have to say, this season is way more gripping than I expected it to be… 
