I had all of this for breakfast….

Well, a mixed muesli of all this stuff.

I put in one spoonful each of:

• oats
• honey granola
• chia seeds
• flax meal
• desiccated coconut
• toasted buckwheat
• toasted almonds

And then sprinkled on a few pistachios, gojis, and golden raisins. This is what it looks like dry…

And after sitting in almond milk for a minute…

It continues to thicken up until it gets to the texture of runny oatmeal.  I had it with a cup of my new favorite tea ever, a pu-erh…

I have been wary to try this kind of tea for a while because I’ve heard people describe it as tasting like dirt, or having barnyard aromas.  Ew.  But Jeff thought I might enjoy it because he knows I like deep, oaky, woody flavored teas.  Wow, I loved it.  And I didn’t get a dirt flavor at all, it was kind of like the aftertaste you get from coffee- not sour, just the way the roasted aroma hangs in your mouth and in the back of your throat.  And the smell!  It smells like leather, or like horses.  Like hay and the way the ground smells before it rains.  Divine, I tell you.

THIS GUY was sitting on the floor directly behind me while I ate breakfast.  He is my biggest fan.  This cat frikkin’ loves me.  Isn’t it ridiculous how he lays on the floor with his hind legs all splayed out the back?  He is so weird.

Time to get some housework done and head to the grocery, get all the not fun stuff out of the way so we can enjoy the weekend.

October 2, 2010 Alayna Discussion, Recipes 2 comments

Just got back from the gym (and I was right, lots more people to share it with now) and I am so proud to say that I finished my third 5K practice for this week!  I’ve run 9.6 miles so far this week, a new high for me!  I always run 3.2 miles when I’m training even though a 5K is closer to 3.1.  I figure I should account for all the warming up I’ll be doing on race day and train myself to do a little more than just the race amount.

Lucas thinks I need a shower before kisses

My calves are hard as rocks but I feel great!

I popped one of these in my mouth when I got home. It’s a some sort of fruit and nut snack I get at Whole Foods.  I usually get them in a carob and spirulina flavor but thought I’d try these instead.  I’m thinking I should try to recreate this at home, shouldn’t be too hard.

Now just waiting for the hubs to get home so we can celebrate the weekend!

October 1, 2010 Alayna Fitness Comments Off on Mileage Pride

I work in a multi-story office building at a market research company.  I’ve been in that industry for 6+ years now and worn many hats within.  Just this year I’ve started using the gym in the office building, where I learned how to exercise and how to stay healthy.

I was never an exerciser before, I always thought I got my dads’ genes when it comes to metabolism and that I didn’t need to work out to stay trim. Ha! No, everyone needs physical activity to be healthy, I know that now.

Anyway, right before I started using the office gym, the major company in our building that rented all top 4 floors, moved out.  All of a sudden entire levels of the parking deck are empty when I pull in to work.  Another neat side effect of the move was that there was also almost no one left to use the gym either.  When I first started going, I had the whole place to myself for the entire length of my workout, 9 out of 10 times.  When I did have to share it, it was usually only with one other person, and I’d be catching the tail-end of their workout, soon to have the gym all to myself again.

Having the whole gym to myself really helped me to get over some of my self-conscious feelings toward working out in front of other people.  I’d had a membership to a major gym before, but I never wanted to go and never wanted to stay long or push myself hard because I was always afraid that all the guys on the row of treadmills behind me were just watching my butt the whole time, or that I’d look stupid to all the seasoned pros if I didn’t use a piece of equipment properly. Being alone gave me the confidence to try hard without worrying what I look like to other people.

Well, my time in my “personal gym” is over.  Three new companies just moved into our building; the parking lots are jammed now so I know it’s a lot of people.  The last few days that I’ve been in the gym, mobs of people have been coming in to take tours of the facilities while I was chugging away on the treadmill.  It’s only a matter of time before the gym is packed with people every time I go in. The good thing is, I’m no longer afraid of how I look exercising in front of others.  I’m finally confident in my workout knowledge and confident in myself to just keep pushing through.

I’ve been going on runs around my neighborhood and Jeff and I bought some basic exercise equipment to use at home, so I’ll still get time to myself to really focus. I will miss those days when it was just me though- hyperventilating on the treadmill and falling off the exercise ball with no one to answer to. 😉

It was fun while it lasted.

September 29, 2010 Alayna Discussion, Fitness Comments Off on A fond farewell to “my gym”