FAQ’s Installment 9

Good afternoon!

I am back from my team meeting! It went longer than planned, but not too much over time- only about an hour. It was lots of work talk (and pretty stressful when talking about all we had to do in 2009), but we also did chat and get to know each other better so that part was really nice. :) The hostess made us a delicious lunch of Baked salmon, green beans, salad, and Asparagus– so naturally I was overjoyed when I saw that the menu was a healthy one!

I brought the leftover carrot cake and Spinach Dip to the meeting (much to Eric’s disappointment!) because I knew if it was in the house I would eat it all! And I know how much oil was in that cake!!! lol. Everyone raved about this cake (and spinach dip) if you are looking for a great cake to make for guests this one is it. See yesterday’s posts for the link to Deb from Smitten Kitchen’s recipe. Everyone was calling me Martha Stewart today!

They had a bunch of desserts today at the lunch. I am not a ‘mid-day’ junk eater– it is very very rare for me to have anything sweet before dinner time. I just don’t crave it and I don’t like how it makes me feel all day. I am much more likely to have a sweet treat after dinner. Probably not a great time of day, but that is just how I am! :)

For dessert, I just had a couple strawberries and grapes while everyone else had carrot cake, cheese cake, and the like.

We had to do this exercise at the meeting today and read it in front of everyone (I can hear your groans!!! Trust me, I know!!!!)

• Where am I playing too small at work? [I said I need to do more presentations and communicate the research to teams better]
  Where am I playing too small in life? [I said I need to donate my time and volunteer]
• What would I do if I knew I couldn’t fail?[I said run a FULL marathon and Phd]
• What am I resisting? [Making myself vulnerable and asking for help when I need it at work. I need to rely on my team more and not worry when I can’t do something!]
• What am I grateful for?[My family, my friends, research opportunities at work, me HEALTH] And my wonderful blog readers of course, but I didn’t open that can of worms…lol.
• How would I want to be remembered? [As making people happy and helping people live healthier lives. Funny, caring, loving, thoughtful, and a great cook. :D

As much as I hate doing these types of exercises OUT LOUD, it was really fascinating to hear everyone’s comments. It made us all think.

So tell me, what are YOUR answers??

Here is the gift I received for Secret Santa:

It is a Butler serving tray:

Am I weird that I am excited to make Eric breakfast in bed with this?! lol.

Looky looky who finally showed her face in the mailbox today:

I will admit, I am scared of Jillian Michaels. She is going to kick my butt and I know it! That is not a happy face. [Help meeeeeeeee]

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FAQ Installment 9

Missed installments 1-8? Click here.

96. Sarah asks, “Can you or anyone recommend a good sports bra that really holds you in while running and doesn’t cost $60? I’d rather spend the money on shoes.”

As would I!!! I love shoes. But nothing is worse than not being supported when running. Personally though, I don’t have much of a problem with support. I use Lululemon’s Flow Y Bra II, that is intended for low-to-medium support. I wouldn’t suggest it if you are anything over an A/B cup though. They have a bra that sounds great though, called the Bounce Breaker Bra, which is for high impact support. I have never used it though. I buy most of my Lululemon gear (and other purchases) off of Ebay and I save about 50% usually. I would suggest checking Ebay first (for fitness gear in general) before paying full price in the mall. You can get it for about $40 US on Ebay right now.

I also found this link rating the 10 best sports bras. Hope this helps!

97. Lora asks, “How are you training? I have a runner’s world training thing because this is my first race and half marathon too!”

What I did before starting my half marathon training was lots of research. I researched all kinds of different marathon training programs. Most of them, including Hal Hidgon’s, tend to structure their programs in the same way to have one of the following per week:

• Intensity/Speed run
• Tempo run
• Long run

Then any additional runs you do that week, should be ‘easy runs’ or runs where you aren’t over-exerting yourself. Some people refer to this as junk mileage. Instead of these easy runs, you can Cross train or take them off all together. I have 1-2 rest days per week. I always try to have an easy run or an off day before a long run to let my body repair itself.

What I have learned through my research is that it is very easy to over-train, especially if you are used to working out 7 days a week like I was. It was a very hard thing for me to do, but over the past several weeks I have grown to appreciate my off days. I know that my body is repairing itself and getting stronger. By visualizing this on my rest days, it reassures me that I am doing the right thing.

I highly, highly recommend this book by Hal Hidgon, “Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide“. I am about half way through and it is one of the best books I have ever read. So inspiring and filled with training advice.

However, I am not following his or any training program to a tee. I just understood the general framework of the program, and then I adapted it weekly to fit my needs. Right now I am following the same principals as I listed above: 1 long run per week, 1 speed run per week, and 1 tempo run per week. Anything else is either a rest day, X-training, or an easy run.

98. Lauren asks, “Hi Ange, I am a newbie to your blog, but I have to say that your skin is gorgeous! Do you ever use any glycolic peels? Have a great day and Happy New Year!”

Happy New Year Lauren! Thank you for visiting Oh She Glows. :) I am flattered by your comments about my skin. I have never had a professional glycolic peel, but I swear by this at-home all natural product that is listed in my ‘Shop’ page. It is called “Ren Glycolactic Skin Renewal Peel Mask” and it is the best thing I have ever used on my skin. My skin was soft as a baby’s bottom and glowing after use. It is pricey (~$55), but one of these containers lasts me about a year, using it every 2 weeks or so). I researched review of skin peels on Make-up Alley and after reading the rave reviews on this product (4.7/5 with 95% of people saying they’d buy it again!!!), I decided to give it a whirl. It is fabulous.

99. Deb says, “I noticed that you don’t have a foundation listed in your Glow page. Do you use a full face foundation? If so, would you mind stating the brand and color?”

I am currently using Marcelle True Radiance foundation in True Beige and Ivory Beige (I mix them together in the Winter time because I am inbetween shades). It provides a nice radiant glow and sheer, minimal coverage. I actually prefer something with a bit more coverage, but recent foundations that I have tried were duds and I kept coming back to this. I wouldn’t call this the holy grail of foundations, but for now it is fine for me. :)

100. Mel asks, “Is that a Bengal cat you have? Are they easy to deal with as compared to other cats?”

Yes Sketchie is a Bengal cat. :) Sketchie has 7th generation Asian Leopard in him. One word for you- WILD. Bengals are known to be very dog like and are NOT like any other cat I have come across. They need constant attention or they will literally bounce off the walls (Sketchie prefers to Karate chop them…but that is another story). They really would be best suited with a ‘play buddy’ as they are highly social. They can even be trained dog tricks. Sketchie has a lot of stomach problems too (and apparently this can be common in Bengals) so make sure you do your research. They are not your average cat.

101. Trish asks, “Do you have a post where you talked about how long it took you to lose the weight and how long ago you achieved your weight loss goals?”

I may have mentioned it in one of my Road To Health posts, but just in case I didn’t I will tell you.

• My weight loss was G-R-A-D-U-A-L and I think this is why that I have been able to maintain it. I slowly starting loosing weight in my 3rd or 4th year of university (2003/2004) until my second year of my Master’s degree (2007/2008). I have maintained my weight within 5 pounds for about a year and a half now. Each year I probably lost no more than 5-7 pounds total. I wanted to make sure that I was able to maintain my weight.

102. Laura asks, “I was wondering if your toasted breakfast banana bread got really toasty in the oven? I made it this morning and it was crunchier than expected. Don’t get me wrong it was awesome, but I was just wondering if maybe I adjusted the cooking time it would have come out even more delicious!”

Thank you for mentioning this!! I meant to say that I LOVE crunchy toast, probably more than most people. So yes, to yield a softer more doughy bread, I would guess about 8-10 mins is enough. :) Thanks for the tip!

103. Amanda asks, “PLEASE tell me the trick to reading while running at that speed!”

To be honest with you, I am not great at it. Also, the way my Landice is constructed makes it hard to see the top of the magazine page. The reading I do on the treadmill is what I would call ‘skimming’ reading. I don’t read every word,  but I read enough to get the message across and to distract me. When I am running fast (like in today’s Army fitness run!), I don’t bother reading at all.

104. Deb asks, “Angela I am wondering if you strength train at all and why you think it is or it isn’t important.”

I definitely think strength training is key to any workout regime. It has often been something that I have slacked on to be honest with you! I have really enjoyed Body Pump weight classes at the gym when I used to go, but now that I workout from home I do lots of ‘equipment free’ resistance exercises like push-ups, core work, lunges, squats, etc. Last year, Eric bought Bowflex dumbells so I intend to use these when I am doing my new Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred video. I intend to do this video as good, intense cross training once per week.

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Stay tuned tonight for the recipes and pictures to my dinner party prep, Oprah’s latest diet, and much more!!!

If someone says, ‘Hey, I ran 100 miles this week. How far did you run?’ ignore him! What the hell difference does it make? The magic is in the man, not the 100 miles.

Bill Bowerman