FOOD
What a lovely day! Seems like a good one to do a day of food 
It all started with a 6:30 wakeup call, 2-mile run/walk (mostly run!) with Arthur in the park (I think he enjoys the running ), shower, coffee, and my favorite once-forbidden breakfast cereal:
1 c. Swiss Crunch perfection with soymilk and a sliced banana
I’ve been craving this cereal lately and it tasted So. Good. Fulfilling a taste craving is one of life’s simple pleasures
I’d forgotten about this impulse-buy (which I’d eaten half of and left at work . . . sometimes you just need a 3PM chocolate fix!)
making my workday
So, when my b’fast wore off around 11:30, I made a little snack:
Gotta love the Macro setting
Afternoon eats were pretty self-explanatory . . .
leftovers: ~1/2 c. black beans, ~1/4 c. pasta, and ~1 c. mixed veggies (broccoli, mushrooms, onion), with salsa
Afternoon snack part 1: sweet sweet strawberries!!! Summer, I can feel ya coming . . .
Snack part 2: a handful of raw almonds and Newman's Own organic raisins (so much better than Sunmaid!!! They have an almost buttery texture.)
I did squeeze in a 1-mile walk during my lunch break, bringing the daily tally up to 3 miles. Once home (around 5:45), I knew I needed to re-fuel, so I had a few fun snacks
Just needed a taste . . .
Only 1/4 cup or so!
The last tbsp is always the best. I'll miss you, Dark Chocolate Dreams!
When I have Swiss Crunch in the house it's hard to eat anything else! Here, a serving with soymilk. I love these tiny Corningware bowls.
Sufficiently energized, I met up with Sarah for a lovely walk in Prospect Park! We walked and chatted and walked and chatted and met up with another friend of mine and, before I knew it, nearly 2 hours had passed! I love it when that happens (and Arthur certainly did too . . .)
After parting ways with Sarah so she could pack for her trip to MA, my friend and I walked over to her apartment in Prospect Heights (another 20 minutes or so) and made a yummy cabbage/tofu stir-fry for dinner. Behold the leftovers:
peanut cabbage stir-fry (served with tofu and a few unpictured Spanish olives as an appetizer )
+ 1.5 glasses of red
. . . and a hermie for dessert after the 20-minute walk home
I loved everything I ate today, and loved all the time spent outside. The running and walking IS taking a toll on my knees/ankles, though—I think it’s high time for a yoga class!!
STEW
I’ve been stewing a little bit for the past 24 hours, because after relaying my knee/ankle concerns to a friend of mine, she replied “well . . . people with our body type probably shouldn’t run.” I felt really offended by this. She and I are both on the tall/curvy side, which means we’re not naturally as aerodynamic/light on our feet as others might be, but I don’t think that’s a good reason to stop running when I derive a lot of satisfaction and mental release from it! It makes me want to keep running just to prove her wrong. But that’s not the healthiest reason to run. Argh.
Have your friends ever judged you for your fitness pursuits?
May 21, 2009 at 6:28 am
I’m having trouble with the idea of telling MYSELF that I probably shouldn’t run (because my knee is clearly temperamental, etc.), but I, too, love running when it’s working for me and my knee is cooperating. I hate the idea of resigning myself to not running because my body doesn’t seem to be “built for it”.
I guess it’s hard to distinguish what risks are real, and what risks might mainly be in our heads.
May 21, 2009 at 7:37 am
Oh wow, that so rings a bell with me! Although it was always myself telling me that, not someone else. I always believed I wasn’t made to run and my knees would become sore, so that was proof I figured! Then I talked to my personal trainer and she told me it was hogswash! The key is definitely to build up slowly, get the right pair of running shoes (go to a shop where they look at your feet & your gait on a treadmill or while you run) and don’t give up! The first few weeks are the toughest, as you will feel aches and pains at a certain point. Try focusing on your posture and read up a little on the “correct” way to run. I also read the tip of checking in every ten minutes with your body: are my shoulder still relaxed? Are my arms swinging wide enough apart (women especially tend to start “boxing” and bringing their arms really close together)? Am I still picking up my knees and feet?
Generally aches and pains in your knee, unless they feel very sharp or acute, will subside. There are all these little tendons and ligaments and bones that are getting used to the impact. Let them recover adequately and you’ll be fine!
Seriously, almost everyone can run, it just takes practice and education
Let me know if you’ve got other questions, I’m here for ya!
May 21, 2009 at 11:30 am
so good to see you, too! we have to do it again
i’ve never been aerodynamic, no matter what level of curviness!
back in high school and college when i only exercised at the gym, friends used to give me a hard time about it. i.e. “you don’t have to work out every day” (i’d be there 3 days if even) or “don’t lose too much weight” (weight loss was never my goal) or “you can have have 3 bagels — you worked out” (not interested). i had to learn to just do what was the right amount for me without factoring in the outside input — no one else knows what i need/what i can do!
May 21, 2009 at 12:51 pm
looks like a yum day and body type, shmody type! If you enjoy it, you should do it! I think doing yoga to help stretch it out is a great idea.
i get a lot of the same things that sarah said: “you’re so …, you don’t need to work out” _ uh, that’s why I’m kind of fit. “you worked out today, you can have this huge slice of cake” – yes, I know, but maybe I don’t want it.
It’s hard hearing things like from people, especially when you know they’re just saying stuff without thinking.
May 21, 2009 at 1:26 pm
HERMITS!!! Ahhhh so good
I love the sounds of that stir fry!
Luckily all of my close friends are really into fitness so I mainly get comments about what I eat (VEGGIES!!) but that’s when they’re downing a whopper so to each their own!
May 21, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Can I join you for walks when I’m back next Saturday?
People say that all the time. Oh, you exercise enough, you can eat this. I hate that.
I agree with Sarah, you gotta do what works for YOU. Screw what everyone else thinks! You’re exercising for YOU.
May 22, 2009 at 10:54 am
Oh and I meant to say: check out half-marathons and marathon pictures of runners – you’ll see all kinds of body types!
May 22, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Hiya – I responded over on my own post but then I realized you probably wouldn’t see it. I have school for 5 more weeks, but that actually makes me up for a blogger meet up all the more (someplace with liquor maybe?)! Sarah and I were talking about a place with great Indian food at the Foodbuzz event, that could be fun….
http://eatingchalk.wordpress.com