health and wellness

Monday and Tuesday Workout and Meal Plan

Posted on by Jama

It’s a two-for-one! Without further ado….

Monday
4:35am – wake up; Watermelon Spark and Arginine Extreme; Catalyst; O2 Gold
5:15am – (awful, miserable, slow) 3+ miles (3.25, maybe? I was still worn out from the Haunted Half Marathon, so it was a recovery run!)
5:45am – Muscle Fuel
6am – Power Pump (this was a much better workout than the run – my body didn’t hate me for lifting)
7am – Chocolate Meal Replacement Shake
9am – 2 scrambled eggs; 2 slices bacon; banana
11am – Spark
11:30am – 2 slices whole wheat crust cheese pizza; 1 slice whole wheat crust cheese bread
2pm – Spark
3pm – 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts and craisins; 1 granny smith apple
6pm – Chicken Noodle Soup, 1/3 cup steamed corn; Chobani Greek Strawberry Yogurt with NatureBox Honey Sunflower Kernels; Omega Plex

1932 calories; 45% carb, 28% protein, 27% fat

Tuesday
5:20am – wake up; Watermelon Spark and Arginine Extreme; Catalyst; O2 Gold
6am – Cycle
7:30am – whole wheat banana pancakes; grape jelly; banana; 2 slices bacon
11am – Spark
11:30am – chicken noodle soup (see recipe link above); peanuts and craisins; 1/2 cup chopped pineapple (ok…I don’t know if it was actually 1/2 cup, but “whatever the kids didn’t eat” is a little vague)
2:30pm – Chocolate Meal Replacement Shake
5:15pm – (it was FREE and I burned 640 calories in cycle this morning…don’t judge) Chick Fil A 8-ct nuggets and medium waffle fries – with honey mustard (duh!)

A word to the wise – my diet is probably 85% super healthy. It’s not that I don’t like junk food – I really REALLY do – but I know that my body doesn’t feel or perform at it’s best when I fuel it with junk. Case in point – those nuggets and fries were delicious, but I spent the rest of the night in and out of the bathroom.

1878 calories; 53% carb, 19% protein, 28% fat (THIS, by the way, is why the “fast food diet” is so bad. Not only is it high in calories, but you’re loading up on carbs and fat. Both macro-nutrients have their place, but only when they are of the healthy sort and balanced with protein. An occasional treat? Sure, but don’t base your diet on it.)

You may (or may not) have noticed that I’ve not been taking the MNS this week. I haven’t decided if I want to continue with the MNS or switch over to just the Core Plex and Omega Plex. I will always take some sort of multi-vitamin. As you can see, even with careful planning and effort on my part, I don’t eat nearly enough fruits and veggies…a good multi helps fill in the gaps. Let’s just say that I’m waiting on a test result to help me decide whether to go with MNS or just Core Plex. 😉

<3 Jama

Haunted Half Marathon 2014

Posted on by Jama

I’d been running for less than a year when my best friend, Joy, said “there’s going to be a half-marathon in Kingsport. We should totally do it.”

I laughed.

She was serious.

She talked me into it and we started training together. We had no earthly idea what we were doing, but I printed off a plan from the Runner’s World Smart Coach website and we followed it. We ran in the rain, from my house and hers. We left our husbands with the kids and food for the grill and we’d run and talk and laugh. Those miles hold some of my fondest memories.

In October of 2009, Kingsport had it’s first Haunted Half and Joy and I crossed the finish line together.

Haunted Half 2009

In 2010, Joy was in Law School and not training as much, so I ran the entire half marathon and she ran a leg of the relay. This was going to be our new tradition!

Haunted Half 2010

In the Fall of 2011, after running together all summer, Joy was working towards her first full marathon. I was pregnant with my third and happily jogging along, still planning on doing the half with her. Then Joy was diagnosed with brain cancer. On the day of the Haunted Half that year, Joy had been in a coma for three weeks. I visited her in ICU just before I headed to the starting line. I rocked my “Run for J Lowe” t shirt and a baby bump and I finished that half for her!

Haunted Half 2011

Joy passed away in August of 2012. The Haunted Half that year was bittersweet. Six months after the birth of baby #3 and just over two months since losing my best friend, those were some hard-fought miles. With friends by my side, another one was in the books.

Haunted Half 2012

2013 was an amazing running year for me. I stepped up my training and started bringing home trophies. I had my sights on a full marathon in December and planned to use the Haunted Half that year as the tempo portion of an 18-miler. I destroyed that race. I crossed the finish in 1:49:38, collapsed and cried, knowing that Joy was there with me.

Haunted Half 2013

I’ve run the Haunted Half since it’s first year, and I will run it every year for as long as I’m able. This year I am in great shape overall, but not the best running shape. It was a tough year, but for the first time since 2009, I ran the entire race with a friend. In all the years prior, I’ve started with my buddies and we’ve drifted along the course…those of us feeling good will pick up the pace, while those not having the best race will hang back. Rachel and I both felt pretty awful from early on. We weren’t even to the halfway point when we decided to stick it out together. Even though my performance was disappointing, I will never regret those miles, because they were miles I spent with a friend…just like I did that very first year.

Haunted Half 2014

Now, just so we don’t get too sappy (Joy would’ve HATED that), I’d like to point out Jenn in the pic. She started with us, but she’s a sucker and suffered alone. Ten minutes ahead of us. To be fair, I don’t think Jenn would have been able to handle our whining, so it’s probably good she dropped us. Punk.

For the record, any weekend that you run a half marathon or longer, you get to eat whatever you want. It’s a rule. I hopped back on the healthy food train on Monday and will be posting my food and workout plan shortly.

<3 Jama

You Tell Me: What Do You Believe About Mental Illness?

Posted on by Jama

I am taking a break from my regularly scheduled Workout and Meal Plan posts…partly because these last couple of days have been insanely busy and I have no idea what I’ve shoved in my face hole.

I also feel like, since this is my blog, I can talk about whatever I want. This does have to do with health and wellness and little encouragement (I hope), so it fits. It’s also personal, although I’m not really comfortable sharing to what extent.

In different communities, there are different beliefs about mental illness. Medication is hotly debated, as there are some who feel that they absolutely could not function without some sort of chemical help, and others who believe its a spiritual problem, or something to be solved with counseling, or dealt with through alternative means. I’m curious what you think and why.

When I say mental illness, I’m referring to any disease of the mind, from depression and anxiety, to learning disabilities and addiction, personality disorders, and the like. You don’t have to share personal experiences if you don’t feel comfortable with that, but I would love to know why you believe the way that you do. Please, be kind. Remember that, although you’re sitting in front of a screen, you are talking to real human beings, made in God’s image, so don’t type anything you wouldn’t say to your closest friend.

I’ll say that I fall somewhere in the middle. I absolutely believe there is a time and a place for medication when it comes to mental illness. It seems, though, that we face a few very specific problems in our country: we over-diagnose “mental illness,” many people expect an easy out in the form of popping a pill, and many mental issues are actually spiritual problems.

So, talk to me. Show me your side. Be encouraging.

And know that, if you are suffering from any sort of mental illness, there is hope.

<3 Jama