Woah - I can't believe Hump Day is already over. Seriously? Where did the week go? The rest of my week is bound to fly by because I get to go to 2 events for work which I'm SUPER pumped about. I love getting out in the community and spreading the "fitness/wellness love"! This week has actually been extremely productive and just very well rounded. I feel rested from getting good sleeps, I feel fit and alert from all the running I've been doing and it's just been a great week!
This week my focus for my workouts has been on running. I haven't been running outside like I should be, but I've been hitting the treadmill hard so far, I'm actually almost at the 20km mark for my total km's this week! I have to admit, yesterday's run was hard. It was hard to get my butt upstairs to the treadmill, and it was hard to keep running without taking a walk break because my quads were sore and my legs were heavy from the run I did on Monday. But I powered through and this was yesterday's end result:
3.85 miles in 40 minutes... it was hard! Took a few walk breaks
Along with Monday's end result:4.51 miles in 45 minutes.. not shabby!
I didn't have my phone with me today to take a picutre of the end result, but I managed to pump out 3.2 miles in 30 minutes. Not bad! I ran at 6.1 for the first ten minutes, and then at 6.3 for the next ten minutes, then 6.5 for the next 5 minutes, 6.4 for 1 minute, 6.3 for 1 minute, 6.2 for 1 minute, 6.4 for 1 minute, 6.5 for 30 seconds and 7.0 for 30 seconds (I think that makes 30 minutes? Don't ask how I remember these things..), but overall it's been a great week! I might not be able to get in runs tomorrow or Friday because of the events I'm heading to, but hopefully I can squeeze in at least 1 run between the two days, hopefully it's nice out and I can run outside after I get home! :)Last week, Jenny and I both took our body fat %'s with the machine we have up in the club. My current body fat (I can't believe I'm sharing this with the entire world) is 21%. My goal over the next couple months is to get down to 19%. I think that's attainable.. although "I think" are the main words used there. I actually have no idea how long it would take to burn 1%, let alone 2% of my body fat. My current weight is 151 lbs and I'm 6 feet tall. It might be harder than I think, but I'm going to try! I remember back when I was in highschool, right before I was graduating. I was definitely "skinny fat", even though I didn't know it at the time. I took my body fat % back then and it was a solid 33%. I was totally confused by this number. I wasn't overweight by any means, and I did workout a lot. As it turns out, I was constantly using the eliptical (which burns calories, but is not so good when trying to lose weight) and some light weights and it really wasn't doing anything to my body, especially since I ate a lot of processed foods. Have you ever heard the term "skinny fat" before? Let me elaborate...
According to Urban Dictionary, the term Skinny Fat is "a physique, while not overweight (and possibly underweight) lacks any visible lean, striated tissue.". Basically it means you can have a slim figure, but because you have very little to no lean muscle mass, your whole figure consists of body fat. I had no idea that this was even possible until I started studying fitness and nutrition on a deeper level. I guess I just never really thought about it much, but it totally makes sense and it's totally what I was. Now I've grown to love the weight room and lifting heavy weights and bars and plates, the treadmill and the concrete outside and I'm not longer "skinny fat", but "skinny fit"! :)
It occured to me today that I haven't tried a new recipe in weeks... how sad! My goal over the long weekend (which I didn't know about until Monday and it made me extremely happy!) is to try a new recipe from one of my fabulous paleo cookbooks! I got an email from a reader this week telling me that he's going to be trying the orage-herb chicken that I posted a few weeks back... it still haunts me to this day, but I'm glad people are enjoying the recipes and trying them out! I'd love to know if you're looking for any specific types of recipes, cooking styles, ingredients to use, ect because I love a good challenge and I love providing useful information for my readers!
So speaking of useful information, some of my information is fun to learn but may not be useful for some people... but with that being said, today I'm going to teach you about the health benefits of one of my favorite new ingredients... fresh basil!
1. Basil is rich in carotenoids, such as beta-carotene which can be converted into vitamin A. It's an antioxidant that's even more potent than vitamin A and it not only protects the cells from free radical damage but it also aids in keeping free radicals from oxidizing cholesterol in the blood stream (which means it doesn't build up in your arteries and veins!).
2. Another way it's antioxidant properities are useful is in cancer prevention. As I mentioned above, it helps protect the body from free radical damage which helps fight most forms of cancer!
3. The oil of basil when it's used on the skin or in the hair, can help enhance the luster appearance of the dull appearance you might have!
4. The oil of basil contains a liquid called eugenol which inhibits the activity of cyclooxygenase which causes swelling in joins and bones, which makes the oil of basil a good anti-inflammatory food that can help people cope with arthritis!
5. The same enzyme as above (eugenol) helps reduce symptoms of IBS and can provide immediate releif from gas in your stomach and intenstines, treat constipation, stomach cramps, indigestion and flatulence!
6. The oil of basil has been shown to provide protection against unwanted bacterial growth! Studies have shown that washing produce in a solution that is 1% oil of basil resulted in killing off bacteria, which is mighty helpful!
Whaaaaat? Seriously? I'm learning all of this stuff only slightly in advanced of you, so I'm as shocked as you are by the crazy amazing benefits of basil. I didn't know you could get oil of basil extract. Interesting, I'll have to look into that!
Alright - that's all from me for tonight! I have a minor confession - I ate another gluten-free chocolate chip cookie tonight and I'm indulging on some 4-year old, white cheddar cheese. I so don't regret this. I don't normally eat dairy foods except for cream in my coffee because dairy is not part of my paleo based diet. However, because I've been so good and cheese used to be one of my favorite foods, I'm having some, and not caring!
I'm also going to leave you with my current favorite song. I love this song. I listened to it like 12 times when I was running today. I hope you enjoy it too! :) It's Closer by Tegan and Sara!
