Yum! Chicken, lime, mango, avocado ... what's not to like?

The chicken marinates for only 5 minutes in a mixture of lime juice, lime peel, olive oil, soy sauce & ginger. It also called for mango chutney, which I forgot to buy. To my horror, I discovered some lurking in the bottom of the fridge door. But instead of saying “Major Grey’s,” it was more like majorly grey. Yikes! Time to toss that.

This was a great weeknight meal and I’ll definitely make it again. Everything tasted very fresh and healthy. I loved the combination of tangy (lime), creamy (avocado) and sweet (mango). Great flavors.

I served this salad with even more produce: chopped cantaloupe and nectarines that had been sitting in the fridge. Look at how much food is on that plate. I was full but not overly stuffed. Just satisfied.

Contact me if you’d like the recipe. It’s easy and (assuming you don’t have a nasty bottle of Major Grey’s mango chutney lingering on the door of your fridge, you probably won’t have to buy many of the ingredients.

OK, how about you. What’s your favorite, healthy go-to dinner recipe? Please tell me about it in the comments below.

With me, it’s almost always about emotion.

See, for a while, that treadmill was a useful servant and faithful companion in my efforts to regain my fitness. Hello! Girl walking past me when she said she was going to work out after she dropped the kids off at school! Why are you plopping down on the couch with another cup of coffee when you said we had a date? I’m here and I’m waiting for you! Please don’t stand me up. Again.

But over time it became a larger than life symbol of futility to me.

No matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to get past the first couple milestones, losing a little weight and then hitting a plateau. My knees would hurt. My shins would ache. My back got tender. I told myself it would get better. It did, for a while. But in the end, I was still in pain most days after I used it. And that made it harder to find the motivation to keep using it. The honeymoon was over. How can you continue to love something that hurts you so much? Once you begin to see something as your only option, and you have to see it every day, taking up space in your life spare room, you suddenly develop an urge to have more options.

Oh, I should note that I’m fully aware that it’s not the treadmill’s fault.

I could’ve done more to uphold my end of the bargain when it came to dietary discipline. And I’m sure my many years of pavement and treadmill deck pounding combined with my excess weight did me in. I’ve had some ligament damage in at least one of my knees. And although no doctor’s ever told me so, I think it’s a safe assumption that I’ve got some cartilage issues. That ol’ bone rubbing on bone sensation gets to be pretty beastly about 15 minutes into a workout centered on foot strike. But when you’ve been an athlete, you tell yourself to suck it up and keep going. Because your dream is to be fit again, to regain that level of health you had when you could run on the track all day, with well-greased teenage knees and a much lighter body unaffected by obesity, pregnancies, injuries and your own reckless neglect over the last 20+ years.

At the gym, I could use the elliptical for the same amount of time as my treadmill and not only would I burn more calories, I’d feel fine afterward. But then I had to suspend my gym membership and I was extremely grateful that I still had my treadmill, Master of Agony that it was. It was kind of like going to an event with an ex-boyfriend because you had committed to go with him before you broke up and he couldn’t get another date so he begged you to go along. OK, I’ll go with you, but this does not mean I’m still in love with you. We’re just friends, and that’s it. So I’d walk. Jog. Run. Walk some more. And take myself to a different mental place to get through the grinding pain in my knees before starting all over again.

So when I got my gym membership back, I looked at it as an opportunity to make some positive changes, not just in my fitness routine, but throughout my life.

And then it hit me.

That treadmill is a metaphor. It had come to represent all of my frustrations in life. All the starting and stopping. All the painful attempts that ended in failure. I had to wonder why I wanted to hold on to something that not only caused me so much pain, but also prevented me from making any forward progress.

Light bulb.

I’m tired of just walking in place and not getting anywhere. Sure, you could make the argument that it was good cardio and I did benefit from that. I know that even though I wasn’t reaching my weight loss goals, I was improving my overall health. My stamina increased. I found my joy for post-exercise endorphins again. I covered a lot of “ground.” I did the virtual FitBloggin 5K, and Pat’s Run. I lost enough weight to feel comfortable embracing my inner hotass in preparation for the Nickelback concert. I was amazed at the things I accomplished on that treadmill. But in the end, like that ex-boyfriend, it wasn’t what I needed. It turned something I used to love into something I grew to loathe. Our relationship had devolved into a single unpleasant task that I couldn’t wait to complete, knowing I’d have to come back and do it all over again the next day, with equal disdain. It wasn’t good for either of us anymore. And it was time to dump it, move on and continue pursuing my dream.

So farewell, oh Master of Agony. I’m sorry we couldn’t work things out. At the gym this morning, between the elliptical and the Gravitron, I loosened the cap on my water bottle and poured a little out for ya, homey. I hope we can still be friends. But if not, I’ll always appreciate the times we had, and how you were always there for me, even if we weren’t quite right for each other. You may not hold the same place in my heart that you did when we first met, but I’m sure you’ll make someone else really happy.

Peace,

~D

One great thing about summer, however, is that we have so many fresh fruits and vegetables available and I try not to let them go to waste. On Monday, I created a delicious lunch with a sandwich thin, a bit of pasta sauce, some leftover zucchini & tomato salad, two pieces of deli chicken, a leftover ear of corn, and some cheese. I separated the thin and spread each half with about a tablespoon of pasta sauce. Then I diced up the zucchini & tomato salad into tiny pieces and scattered them over the top. Next came a little shredded cheese, left over from our Mexican pizza dinner on Saturday, and then I tore a piece of deli chicken and put the pieces over the cheese. Then I remembered I had a little corn left over from the previous night’s dinner, but I didn’t want to get out a bigger plate (lazy!) so I cut the kernels off the cob, and put them on top of the chicken. I popped it all under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese and … it was honestly one of the best lunches I’ve ever had. I also had a small serving of Apple Slaw from Sunday’s dinner and a ripe, delicious pear.

I’m sorry–I never got around to taking a picture. It was so yummy that I couldn’t stop myself!

OK, let’s hear from you:

What’s your favorite healthy “made from leftovers” creation?

BBQ Lime Salmon Sandwiches with Apple Slaw

Blistered Cherry Tomatoes

Corn on the Cob

SO Delicious Ice Cream

Lime BBQ salmon & apple slaw sandwich, blistered tomatoes & corn

Salmon, cabbage, apples, olive oil, tomatoes, corn … it’s like a good for you food of the week all-star meal. It was so yummy, but I didn’t feel stuffed or heavy after eating. Just satisfied and happy. We will definitely make this meal again.

We grilled the salmon on cedar planks and that, and the lime marinade, gave it a wonderful flavor. The slaw is made with cabbage, apple, olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest & lime juice. A nice bright flavor.

The tomatoes are so easy and I love this recipe. Melt a small amount of butter in a saucepan, add a little sugar and basil, then the tomatoes, stir to coat, then season with salt and pepper. I love that there’s hardly any prep and it cooks up in about a minute. Easy button!

These blistered cherry tomatoes are easy and yummy.

In fact, all of the dishes in this meal went together with just a few ingredients and very limited preparation. In the summer, when we usually grill on Sundays, that’s my kind of meal. The sooner I can escape my hot kitchen, the better.

Let me know if you try these recipes. My family loved them and it’s always good to see them enjoy a healthy, tasty meal.

So since I’ve gone back to the gym, I’ve decided to really embrace the abundance of equipment available to me. Yesterday, I met Barb at 4:45 and after our cardio, I settled into the weight machines for my lower body. Nothing too intricate for now, just getting a feel for things and what I can do. It’s been a very, very long time since I really lifted weights in a gym with any sincerity. I only did a few machines, working my hamstrings. I was a little disappointed to see that my leg strength has decreased. I used to be able to press between 400 and 450. Sprinting made my hamstrings ridiculously strong and although it was frustrating not being able to pull men’s 501s over my hamstrings in high school, it was totally worth it when I went into the gym and could out-press the boys by almost 100 pounds. On Tuesday I pressed a whopping … 240 pounds.

You might think 240 is impressive. Maybe it is. But not when you’ve seen yourself do nearly twice that. So I have another goal, something else to work toward as I get myself back in shape. Let’s hope it doesn’t mean I can’t pull up my 501s when I get there this time.

Today after cardio I worked my upper body. My arms, specifically my biceps, were already sore from my two sets of 10 pull-ups on Monday. I got the Gravitron and cranked out 8 and then rested and did another set of 8. I wish it had been 10. My biceps are just so sore. But I wasn’t finished. I moved over to the compound row machine and did 3 sets of 15 at 65 pounds. Then 3 sets of 10 chest flyes at 30 pounds–I could’ve easily upped this weight but wanted to start low. And then 3 sets of 10 lat pull downs at 60 pounds. By the end, I was in a hurry to get home and get breakfast going before my husband had to leave for work. But my arms were good and shaky. I’m sure I’ll be feeling this tomorrow.

Driving home, my biceps shaking as I gripped the steering wheel, I realized how dumb I was for not taking full advantage of the weight machines when I was going to the gym before. What a great tool they are in my arsenal for getting fit, and I barely used them. So often, I’d breeze in, do my cardio and go. And it’s not like I’d never used the machines before. When I taught aerobics, I learned all about the Nautilus machines, which muscles they worked, how to adjust them, etc. But I didn’t want to be muscle-y. And I still don’t.

Well, maybe a little.

But I don’t mind building up what I’ve already got and making my body look as strong as I feel.

So today I made myself a deal: do some sort of strength training all but one day of the week that I’m in the gym. I aim for 5 days a week, so 4 days is perfect. It gives me 2 days for upper body and 2 days for lower body. I know I burn more calories when I lift consistently. And when I was working out at home, it was the easiest thing to skip. Setting up the barbell took too long. I had to move stuff around. I just didn’t feel like lifting that day.

Well, there’s no excuse at the gym. It’s there, it’s ready, go do it.

I’m still struggling to fit in the amount of cardio I want to do and the strength training without having to get up even earlier and still be home in time to make breakfast before my husband leaves for work. But for now, I think the important part is that I’m there and I’m doing what I can. The pieces will fall into place eventually.

Now I have a challenge for you. Are YOU using all of the equipment available to you in your gym/workout environment? If not, why not? Do you find it intimidating? Is it that no one’s ever shown you how? Is time a factor? What is preventing YOU from reaching your full potential in your workouts?

Before you go and pave paradise to put up a parking lot, ask yourself what you could be doing to help you reach your goals. Sometimes the opportunity is right in front of you. All you have to do is reach for it.

1) If the owner of my gym is so generous to let me go and work out there in exchange for doing her newsletter, it would be extremely ungracious of me to blow off that opportunity. Not to mention incredibly stupid.

2) It’s time to really walk the walk again. I can’t write about health and fitness during one part of my day and sit on my ass for the rest of it. It’s one thing to know about a healthy lifestyle, but it’s another thing to really live it.

3) I have a friend who is struggling with his health and, like me, is a former athlete who fell into some unhealthy habits, and now finds himself facing some pretty serious medical challenges.

If you know me at all, you know I am an extremely loyal friend and would do just about anything a friend asked of me. This friend actually hasn’t asked anything of me. But I know the road he’s about to travel. It’s a long one, littered with obstacles, setbacks, frustrations, and self-doubt. What I’m hoping to do is show him, by my example, that it ends in glory, empowerment, self-respect, and the greatest reward of all: good health. And that I’ll be with him every step of the way.

So last week I got mine arse back to the gym on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday AND Saturday. In fact, Saturday was the most intense workout of all. And then this morning, I got there at 5 a.m. to bust out 30 minutes on the elliptical at a higher resistance than I’ve done since my return to the gym. And then, my Beastmaster was waiting for me.

Oh yeah, the all-humbling Gravitron.

Let me just put it this way. Women are traditionally weak in the upper body. There I said it. Argue all you want. Not to be too Neanderthal, but it’s really simple. Men are built for lifting heavy things. Women are built for pushin’ out babies. So therefore men have stronger upper bodies and women have stronger lower bodies. And if you disagree, fine, but that’s how I see it. So it’s been a goal of mine for a while to be able to do a full set of 10 pull-ups. Unassisted.

If you’re familiar with the Gravitron, you know you can offset as much or as little of your body weight as you like, until you can do pull-ups unassisted. I had started doing them before I had to suspend my gym membership and was able to do a set of 10 with about 60% of my body weight (at the time) offset. Well, I’m a little heavier now, and on Saturday, despite forgetting my weightlifting gloves and having to go commando, I offset about 90% of my body weight just to see how it felt. (Yeah, I hate how it’s set at weird intervals, like 15 pounds for each bar. Wouldn’t it make my calculating easier if they used 10 pound weights in the stack?)

Barb twisted up her face and let out an empathetic “oooooohhhh” when my shoulder cracked and popped nice and loud on pull-up number 4. I felt it resonate in my chest cavity. Gee, it’s fun using muscles you haven’t used in a while, isn’t it? But I got through the set and then jokingly told the Gravitron, in my best Ahhnold voice, “I’ll be back!”

It showed no emotion.

So today, I remembered my weight lifting gloves and prepared to show the Gravitron that I meant business. I momentarily considered skipping out after my elliptical workout. I chugged what was left of my water. I stepped past the muscleheads holding a pow wow in that part of the gym, walked around to the weight stack and set it to offset about 85% of my body weight and hopped right on. The first set was fine, knocked out 10 like it was No.Big.Whoop.

Woohoo, I thought. I got this.

Caught my breath and went back for round 2. OK, Cocky Girl, let’s see what you got. Got through the first 5 and then began to struggle. But dammit, I’m no quitter. So I grunted. I exhaled. I pushed and I pulled and I hauled myself up there for 5 more, ending with a rather loud “Gaaaah!” Number 10 was almost to the point of failure. I know my form wasn’t perfect on the last few one. That was just straight up, teeth-gritting, “I will do this if it kills me” effort.

I’m sure the gal on the rowing machine 4 feet away from me and her military husband on the cable machine 8 feet away thoroughly enjoyed every bit of my loudly expressed agony. And I’m pretty sure some of my sweat landed on her as I pulled myself up with all my might.

Here I am a few years ago, doing a pull-up on the ol' Gravitron.

But who cares? After idling for quite a while and spending most of the last 3 weeks traveling and eating my way through tournaments, parties and a much-needed vacation, I started my week doing 30 blistering minutes of cardio and 20 pull-ups, so why should I give a crap what anyone else thinks?

I came home and made an egg white scramble with spinach and chicken, plus a fresh plum and some iced coffee. Power breakfast to go with my empowering workout.

Things just feel different this time. Like I’ve skipped to the ending of the book and I know how it’s going to turn out so I’ve got no worries about how I’ll get there. It’ll take a while, but that Beastmaster is about to become my bitch. I know what I can do. Like I said, I’ve been down this road before. And I’m going to do it. And I’ll show my friend that he can do it, too. Because I’d do anything in my power to help him regain his health. Even if that means, finally, taking control of mine.

OK, how about you … what’s your goal right now and what are you doing to reach it?

She and I met while our sons were in kindergarten. We had only lived in Idaho a few months. This was the first birthday party Jack had been invited to. I dropped him off, met Barb and told her how thrilled I was to have a couple hours to do some errands without two kids in tow. We chatted a bit and then some more when I picked him up. We discovered several common interests. Our boys got to be good friends. And she and I have been friends ever since.

Each of us was on our own fitness journey and we soon began scheduling “walking dates.” We’d meet at the high school track and let the kids play on the football field or bleachers while we walked laps. (Moms, this is a GREAT way to encourage the entire family to exercise and you can go at your own pace while keeping an eye on the little ones – use your high school track!) I should mention that Barb is about six inches shorter than I am. (Maybe more, but she’s going to kill me when she reads this, so I’ll just say six and call it good. OK, it’s really eight. Yeah, like I said, six.) For kicks, we would get to a certain spot on the track and I’d say “Race ya to the next marker” and take off sprinting, knowing that even though she was in better shape than me, she couldn’t match my stride and I’d win every time. Meanwhile, I’d hear Barb running behind me and yelling, “Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch!” I would almost fall down laughing when I got to the marker and turn and look at her cranking out her sprint as fast as her short legs would let her go, a look of determination and “Oh, I’m gonna kick your ass for this, D” all over her face. And then she’d laugh, too.

We are easily amused.

Then she joined our local gym and asked if I wanted to join, too. I said yes and we began working out at the gym in the wee hours of the morning and still taking some Sunday afternoons to meet at the track, with or without kids. Our friendship grew. We shared recipes, kvetched over family life and annoying coworkers, discussed at length the contestants on the Biggest Loser and solved all the world’s problems, if only someone would listen. We are similar enough to share common interests but different enough to appreciate the other’s point of view. And we laugh a lot.

Barb started at a lower weight, much closer to her goal than I was to mine. And not surprisingly, she achieved her goal.

And I … didn’t.

She got lean and strong. I lost weight. I saw some progress. And as much as I try not to compare myself to others, I couldn’t help noticing how much better she was doing than I was. Still, I was so proud of what she’d accomplished and felt inspired by her progress.

And then our schedules changed. It was hard to meet at the gym in the mornings. We might make it on a Saturday, but even that got to be difficult. Our walking dates had petered out. Time just wasn’t on our side anymore. And then, I wound up having to suspend my gym membership. Barb continued and still looks as fit today as she did the day I had to give up the gym.

And I … don’t.

I tried and tried to love my treadmill. I made that thing my bitch on more than one occasion. I became its bitch on several more. On the rare instance that Barb and I could make time to walk on the track together, I would huff and puff while she cruised along. I had only put on a few pounds but I felt so much older and weaker. Well, maybe it was more than a few pounds. But still–I felt like I should be able to keep up and was frustrated that I couldn’t. I could see I was slowing her down.

In all my years of running track, I’d been taught that it’s good to train with someone who runs faster than you. In high school, that meant running with guys. Trying to keep up with that guy in front of you pushes you to run faster. But when you’re a female, you expect a guy to run faster than you. Straining to keep up with another female can be a bit much on the ego if you’re not in the right head space.

And I … wasn’t.

So I floundered. I ran in place, literally, on my treadmill. I got frustrated, discouraged, angry, and let myself wallow in pity. Several things in my life seemed to be hitting a dead end. I would see Barb around town and think, “Damn, look at her. She looks awesome. I had been on track and then veered off but she stuck with it. Why couldn’t I do that?”

Well, there are several reasons, but none of them really matter. Because that’s all in the past.

What matters is that today, I met Barb at 4:45 a.m. and we hit the ellipticals for 40 minutes. I’d been doing 30 minutes until today. Let me tell you, that last 20 10 minutes was a mudderfriggin grind. But you know how I said that Barb is one of the few people I’d get up and workout with at 4:45 a.m.? Well, there’s a reason for that. It’s because she keeps me going. She doesn’t stop. She never phones it in. She doesn’t do anything half-assed. She just keeps going, and that keeps me going. And, obviously, that is why she has succeeded. If it had just been me this morning, I probably would’ve bailed at 30 minutes and called it good. I even joked about it, “I could’ve been done by now, but noooooo, I have 10 more minutes because Barb wanted to do 40!” And, knowing me like she does, she laughed and said, “I’m hearing gratitude. And you’re welcome!” My response? “Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch!”

We are easily amused.

Now, our schedules still don’t quite mesh. We may only be able to meet once in a while. But it’s a start. I know that having Barb join me every so often will help me be more accountable. And I know schedules will change in a month when the kids are back in school. The important thing for me is to establish the habit of getting to the gym regularly. I can always adjust dates and times later. But it felt great to be back in the gym with Barb today. And I’m looking forward to doing it again. Now if we could just work around that 4:45 a.m. thing …

Today I had one of those “Duh, why didn’t I see it like this before?” moments. I think sometimes God puts those moments into our heads at the precise time because we are open to them and ready to receive the knowledge. Otherwise, why bother, right? I’ve had quite a bit on my mind lately. And between all of that and trying to keep up with Jack’s baseball tournament schedule and all of the fund raising that goes along with it, I’ve not had much time for blogging. Or thinking, for that matter.

So I get up to the track today and see that there are a few other ladies there. One is a woman about my age. She starts off walking and then jogs, slow but steady. I was immediately inspired by her because I noticed that she jogged at about my jogging speed whenever I was there. Thank.You.SISTER.

Next I saw another group that I’ve seen at the track before. Three ladies. All look younger than me. I’m sure they didn’t plan it this way, but they always walk in the same format: On the outside is the petite one, pushing a stroller. In the middle is a gal who looks like she might need to lose about 15 pounds, but is probably pretty healthy otherwise. And on the inside, closest to the center of the track is a gal who I would estimate to be about 80 pounds overweight. Now, please keep in mind I’m not judging. I just call it like I see it. It could be that the overweight gal is perfectly happy and content at her present weight, and the petite gal is totally miserable. I have no idea. Life’s funny that way, huh?

When I see that trio, I always have the same thought: Please, God, don’t let them lap me. These gals walk pretty fast, even with that stroller to slow them down. I try to make sure I stay at least a half a lap ahead of them at all times and know I need to get moving if I hear them talking as I round the corner or look over my shoulder and noticed they’ve made up some of the gap.

Today there were two more young women there that I’d never seen before. I would estimate that at least one of them was a high school track athlete and the other may have been a few years older. I never got a very good look at her. They were doing exactly what I used to do at that age: killer sprint intervals. Ever done those on the track? For an hour? It’s incredibly simple torture: Run the straightaways, jog the corners, repeat. Over and over and over. It’s fun for the first couple laps. Then you want to die. And then you just wish you were already dead.

I immediately heard my high school track coach screaming in my ear. “Dig! Dig! Dig!” (referring to my elbows, digging in so I could find a higher gear when I felt like my legs just couldn’t go anymore–there’s a lot of arm work in running) So I’m watching these two gals running. One is taller, slimmer, faster. The other is a little shorter, a little wider through the hips, a little slower. She had a soccer player’s body, if that makes sense. Strong, solid, just not very speedy. The taller girl looked like a hurdler to me. Long, graceful legs. Perfect running form. Stoic.

I looked at all of these gals as I walked my warm-up lap. And then it hit me and I saw it all so clearly.

That tall gazelle of a girl in the gray t-shirt? That used to be me. A long, long time ago.

That round, huffing and puffing woman in the stretchy black pants? That used to be me, too. Not quite as long ago.

And Steady Eddie? Little Mama chugging away at her own, comfortably slow but productive pace? That’s me right now.

In what I would call a convenient stroke of genius, God put them all in the same place, right in front of me, so I could see how far I’ve come, both ways, how far I have to go, both ways, and how I’m doing.

I took it all in for a minute and then got to work. First lap was an easy warm-up, second lap was a brisk walk, and the third lap was a jog. In the meantime, I passed up the trio. And the pair of young runners passed me a few times. And Steady Eddie and I pretty much kept pace with each other, whether I was running or walking.

I watched with appreciation as the young gals sprinted past me. I told myself, “Donna, you’ve done that before. You’ll do it again.” I think in the past, that would’ve made me feel bad, ashamed, guilty for letting myself get to this shape. But today I actually found it very inspiring. I thought about my old photos that I keep near the treadmill and really, really remembered what it felt like to go out and sprint at full speed. There was a delicious breeze blowing. Perfect weather for a running workout.

I looked at the trio and told myself that even though I may feel like it some days, I’ve come a long, long way from those stretchy black pants. One look at her and I knew I didn’t want to go back to that life. A very timely reminder, because I’ve been inching closer to it for a while now and it absolutely must stop.

I looked at Steady Eddie, just cruising along, her red ponytail bopping along in the breeze. That’s where it’s at. Slow and steady wins the race. I don’t expect to get back to my top sprinting form. For one thing, my knees are as old as I am. And for another, I don’t have 6 hours a day to train like I’d need to in order to get back to that speed. But I can do my best. I can continue to go out there each day and make the attempt, can’t I?

I did 8 laps total. That’s 2 miles on the track, plus it’s about a mile round trip from my house. So I figured I did 3 miles. I walked some, I ran some. But, I ran more than usual. I was tired but I thought of those girls and their interval training. I know I can’t keep up that same pace right now, but it motivated me to push a little harder and run until the next marker. I’ll take that for now. Every day I get stronger, if I allow myself.

I’m glad that I now have the perspective to see that.

Last Friday, for example, I had to be out of the house by 8 am to drive to a tournament, and we didn’t get home until 10 pm. Then had to be out of the house by 8 am on Saturday. Got home at 6 pm, went to our church picnic – no cooking for me after two long days in the sun – YAY! And then, the next morning, we were at church at 7 am for our parish’s first annual Fun Run/Walk/Bike event, which my husband and I helped plan and organize. Now, where do we fit in a workout during all of that? Well, the fun run was it.

Brian has a leg injury and he’s never been much of a runner/walker, but he loves riding his bike, so he did the 6-mile course. The kids and I did the run/walk. Audra did a full mile with me – pretty good for an 8 year old, and she never complained once, which is amazing if you know her – then went to hand out waters. Jack did two miles, and even ran the last lap. After two long hot days of baseball, I was amazed that he had that much energy. I also did two miles, at a slower pace, walking and talking with a friend. Sunday is usually my rest day, so I figured I had a jump on the week. Which came in handy since I got busy doing “secretarial” work for the all-star team Monday morning and never got a chance to work out. That afternoon, I was mad that I’d let it go. Again.

So today, I took a different approach. I laced up my Nikes at 7 am and headed outside. Work can wait a few hours. I walked up to my local high school (about a half-mile each way) and did 6 laps on the track. I kept up a pretty good pace, walking most of it. The last lap I jogged all the way. That felt great.

When I’m on the track, I can’t help but think about my high school track days and it’s distressing to me to see how out of shape I am now. I remember jogging two miles around the track in high school like it was nothing. And now I get a half a lap in and I’m wanting to walk. But the beauty of the track versus the treadmill is that I have that visual cue right in front of me at all times. You know how each lane of the track is divided into quarters for a sprint relay? When I jog now, I tell myself, “Just get to the next quarter.” And then I repeat that. By the time I get to the last quarter, I’m at the top of the track, and I make myself run hard. Not a full sprint. But hard. And I feel myself getting stronger. Maybe one of these days I’ll be able to jog two miles around the track like it’s nothing. I don’t see that in the very near future, but someday. I’ll get there.

When I got home today, I made myself a delicious shake with chocolate protein powder, the iced coffee I made before I left the house, a banana and some spinach. (forgot the flax – dang it!) It was really yummy and although I usually only do the chocolate protein powder once a week, I think I’ll definitely do the iced coffee for summer. What a refreshing treat, without all the crap stuff you get when you order one from Starbucks.

So, it’s 9 am. My workout’s done. I have some writing to do but it’s nothing too difficult and I think the kids know by now that they need to be quiet when I’m working. It will all get done today. Because I’m making time.

OK, let’s hear from you: How do YOU make time for workouts during the summer?