I’m baaaaaaaaaaaack.
My fingers had such a nice break yesterday! :) I hadn’t done a Wordless Wednesday since last September.
I think it is a nice change every once and a while. I also loved seeing how your comments changed when I just posted pictures as opposed to pictures and words. Many of you commented how you enjoyed putting together a story in your mind…I thought that was kind of fun!
I am playing around with the idea of doing a daily wordless afternoon post. Right now I generally post in the morning and then again at night, but it would be fun to have a wordless lunch post just to break up the day.
By the way, inside my wrap yesterday was my Golden Sweet Potato Soup from the other night! I really do love that soup! So simple and comforting.
Swim #3 last night!
Apparently, I was so excited my left cheek started to glow uncontrollably…? ;)
Swim #3:
- 15 minute warm-up (freestyle, breaststroke, flutter board)
- 30 minute medium pace (freestyle, breaststroke)
- 10 minute fast pace (freestyle, no stopping after each length)
- 5 minute treading water to finish (I found treading water really easy! Wonder why?)
I didn’t keep track of laps because I was focusing more on technique rather than speed, but I would guess that I swam about 25 laps/1250 metres in about 55 minutes.
My goal was to start doing bilateral breathing which is when you breathe on both the left and right side, as opposed to just one side. I had only been breathing on my strong side (the right side) the last two sessions. It was tricky at first as my left side is not as strong, but after a few laps I picked it up and I am happy to say that I can now confidently breathe on both sides while doing freestyle. Eric is doing great with it too!
What I learned Day 3:
- Good swimmers are efficient and effortless swimmers (I learned this while watching swimmers in the fast lane.) They are smooth and graceful like swans.
- Seeing myself improve and Eric improve is so exciting. We were so pumped on the drive home because we were feeling proud of ourselves. It feels awesome to learn a new skill again!
- Don’t panic when the pool fills up with people and the waves start getting choppy. This is good practice for the tri! It was REALLY busy last night.
- When you go to the late night swim, kiss the sauna goodbye because the entire place shuts down and you get kicked out. Can I hear an Awwww hellll nooo?
I checked our pool for adult lessons and there is currently one going on but it is full and we can’t get in. The next one isn’t until July. The wait list for private lessons is also 17 people long. So, my next step is looking for an instructor who is not affiliated with the pool and just teaches on the side. I find I am really craving some lessons because I really want my form to be the best it can be. At first, my thoughts were along the lines of just swimming so I can finish the race, but now Eric and I are starting to enjoy it so we want to improve!
We didn’t get home from the pool until about 10:45pm. Party animals, eh?
I woke up ravenous this morning. I wanted carbs…and fast.
I made this for Eric yesterday and it was so amazingly good I decided to make it for breakfast.
Grilled Cashew Butter and Blueberry Sandwich:
Ingredients:
- 3 pieces whole wheat bread
- 2 tbsp Organic Blueberry Jam
- 1 tbsp cashew butter
- 2 tsp Earth Balance Margarine
Directions: Take 1st piece of bread and spread a layer of blueberry jam on top. Take 2nd piece of bread and place on top. Spread piece #2 with cashew butter and then add another layer of jam. Add third piece of bread and spread lightly with margarine. Place sandwich onto pre-heated frying pan (on medium heat), margarine side down. Now spread the top side of the bread with margarine. Grill on each side until golden brown and serve immediately.
This was inspired by Caitlin’s Grilled Banana Sandwich.
Blueberry jam is fun!
Intense, isn’t it? You could also use any kind of nut butter or jam too.
Onto the pan it goes…
The smell was quite amazing while cooking. Mmm.
Oh my gooooosh this was so good.
Sometimes a gal just needs bread, no?
The saltiness from the margarine played off the sweetness of the cashew butter and jam so well.
Magnifique!
Today’s question- What forms of exercise challenge you like no other, no matter how good of shape you are in?
I said to Eric last night, ‘No matter how many miles I run or how many intense cardio workouts I do, swimming is one heck of a challenging workout!’ I thought my lungs were in great shape until I started swimming. I am anxious to see if swimming improves my running endurance. Any runner/swimmers out there want to comment on this?
For me:
- Stair walking/running (I used to do 28 floors of stairs in my condo everyday)
- Swimming
- Yoga
- Running, esp. hill or trail running
See you later alligator!
Wow, that sandwich looks delicious!
No matter what shape I’m in, I think running will always be challenging for me. But I love it!
I have never tried cashew butter before, but that sandwich looks SO good!!
Last night I did Bikram yoga for the first time ever. It was actually my first time ever doing yoga outside of my living room in “public.” It was SO challenging but felt amazing and I cannot wait to go back. I also find the stairclimber and running uphill to be always challenging.
That breakfast looks delicious! Gotta keep it in mind for a day I wake up craving bread (yep that happens!).
For me it’s running that challenges me the most. Some people can take long breaks and still maintain their running mojo, for me, I take a 3 day break and I’m back at… well not square one but similar. But you know what? That is exactly why I like running so much. I know I’m challenging myself and my body to do something that doesn’t come easy.
Swimming is right up there on the challenging side for me. I can run for 21 km and still want to go for a bit. Put me in the pool for to practice and I have to really work to keep up. I really have enjoyed watching my own progress from having a hard time swimming one length to building up to swimming laps in a Masters class.
Sandwhich looks delicious!! The In a Jiffy Spelt Burgers are amazing!! I made a batch on Tuesday and they will be gone today after lunch!! Thank you so much for sharing so freely your delcious recipes!! i have to stop running to the grocery store everyday after school!!!
Glad you liked the recipe! :) Congrats on your swimming progress too…I hope that is me some day!
Plyos and functional training! It kills me everytime.
That sandwich looks to dieeeee for.
I’ve been a swimmer all my life (lifeguard, swim team, etc.) so swimming isn’t a challenge but it doesn’t mean it’s not a workout.
Running is definitely my biggest challenge right now as I’ve never been a runner. I’m at the stage of 5 minutes running and that’s an incredible accomplishment for me! Swimming comes easily to me but running is so hard on my body and mind.
Weightlifting for sure.
Tabata.
Swimming too because my breathing sucks.
When freestyle starts to feel comfortable and like you could swim for hours it’s really great! Until you can get lessons, there is some great information on www.swimsmooth.com which I have found really helpful. You can download an animation of “Mr Smooth” swimming too.
We checked that website out last night actually- it’s great!
Ha ha! Great minds…
Having learnt to swim properly myself recently I thought it might help to share 3 things that have really helped me:
1 – make sure you breathe out the whole time your face is under water, no holding your breath!
2 – ‘catch up’ rather than windmilling the arms – don’t start pulling the left hand through the water until the right hand is about to enter
3 – body roll! You slip through the water better on your side than flat, and you can practice the right position by doing the kick lengths lying on your side with one arm outstretched superman style (the other by your side)
great tips!! I was trying the body roll last night, but I determined that I need to get my bilateral breathing down a bit more before I start focusing on the body roll. I can totally see how it will help streamline the stroke.
I’m not an expert by any means, but I think you’ll find the body roll will help with the breathing on the trickier side – you don’t need to turn your head as much if you are already on your side!
Great idea on the sandwich!!! YUM!
I find any sort of stair climbing and my spin class to be challenging! I hate stair climbing but I do spin every week!
May I come over for one of those sandwiches? I’ll bring blondies to exchange! :-D
I’m a yoga girl – it always challenges me.
The sandwich looks amazing! Great pictures!
Looks good–I like the idea of putting it on the stovetop vs just toasting each piece of bread. Totally trying that!
That is a late night swim indeed! I bet you slept great!
yess I slept like a log. A peaceful log. ;)
Anything with running in it. I have never been a runner so at 41 it is challenging for me.
That sandwich looks amaaaaaaaaaaaaazing Angela. Oh my god. I love bread so much. ahaha
I started swimming a few weeks ago, in preparation for my first tri on July 18th (!) and I couldn’t believe what a cardio workout it was! I could barely swim 25 meters without having to stop and gasp for breath. I’ve improved a lot since then AND I’ve noticed that I’m also running faster than ever before. Cross training works! I am a believer!
Also, that sandwich looks delicious.
Hands down it is running. I have always struggled with it and at the same time keep doing it because I want to be good at it. :)
BTW my mom use to make me griled peanut butter sandwichs all the time growing up. Now I make them with almond butter and they are just as good. It is a comfort food for me.
Congrats on the great swim! I am currently waiting for the summer swim lessons at my gym to start. I took lessons over a year ago for total immersion swimming, but I could never get the whole breathing while swimming concept. After much frustration I quit trying, but I’m ready to give it another shot. Congrats again! Thanks for the inspiration!
Running and Hiking
I find I can cycle or swim forever but because of my back after a mile or two of running or five miles of hiking I’m done….
Yoga on the other hand is hard for different reasons; more to do with the mind than the body!
I can run with no problems, but when it comes to stairs, I’m huffing and puffing by the 8th flight! I feel like I’m in great shape, but maybe those stairs are proving me wrong. ;)