Baking frenzy!

I love baking and decided to tackle bread making this weekend with huge success! I seriously can't believe how easy it is to make whole wheat bread. My first bread was a whole wheat flax meal bread. I have a kitchen aid mixer and put the dough hook on it and let the mixer do the work. The bread rose for about an hour and then right into the oven. The next bread I made was a whole wheat sunflower flax bread. The recipe I used made two loaves. I ended up making three loaves of bread for around $1.00 total. I plan on making bread every weekend. It really takes me no time at all. I can't believe I waited so long to do this!

Weekend Groceries

Do you think eating healthy is not affordable? This is what I purchased this past weekend:

 

How to Keep Your Ticker Ticking

How do we keep our heart in tip top shape? Here are four strategies to keep your ticker ticking:

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

This is a Joe Cross movie that came out in 2010.

Oh that caffeine addiction!

How many of you have a daily caffeine habit? I definitely do!! Coffee and me are long lost soul mates. Without it, I never would have survived the four years of interrupted sleep that my little ones have given me. (yes, both kids were TERRIBLE sleepers!!) The question is, How do you partake of this addiction?

Keep at it!

Ah yes...the "boring 4". I made it! A typical week right now is one long run on the weekend, one day of weights and abs and three days of 4 mile runs during my lunch break. I've been taking Wednesday and Saturday as rest days. As I get farther into my training, my long runs will get longer but my lunch hour runs will stay the same. Does that seem like alot to you? I assure you that its not and its not at all a hassle to my day to day routine. It's just a nice part of it :-)



A good tip for keeping at your fitness and nutrition is to keep a log or diary of what you do and eat each day. That way you can see how your nutritional profile stacks up. I recommend cronometer. It's really easy to navigate and breaks down your daily nutrition right down to the last macro-nutrient. There is also a complete user guide on the website so you will be able to navigate easily and efficiently.This is especially important if you really have no clue what nutritional content are in the foods you eat. Be honest with your food tracking too! That way you can really see what you consume in a day and where you need to improve. I know a big downfall of mine is to take bites of my kids leftovers. (or eat almost half a sandwich off their plates if its left over!). That, in itself, might not sound like a lot but if you add that into the rest of your food intake for the day, it can quickly add up.In order to lose weight, you need to create a deficit and if you're honest with yourself and track accurately, you might realize that you are eating way more than you thought you actually were.

The importance of proper hydration

I was super thirsty after my run on Sunday and I couldn’t drink enough water. I finally became sufficiently hydrated by 6 pm that night and then spent most of the evening running to the bathroom to pee. Why is hydration so important? Your body depends on water for survival. Did you know that water makes up more than half of your body weight? Every cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to function correctly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste and lubricate joints. Water is essential for good health.  You lose water through sweating, breathing and going to the bathroom. When you don’t replace the water that is lost, you become dehydrated.

So, how do I know if I am dehydrated?