2 Cups of Veggies?!?!

Why yes, I do want my clients eating 2-3 cups of veggies at their three main meals and 1-2 at their two snacks. Vegetables offer more than meets the eye. They are filling and help the person who is having issues with overeating to feel full when trying to burn fat. Very simple fact there and commonly accepted. They also offer more phytonutrients than we are aware.

For my eating lifestyle I don't feel the need to know the details of why. I know I feel better physically. I know I have a greater happiness rating. I have a higher performance when running. Besides all those benefits the meals taste better! Variety of flavors and colors make the dining experience exciting.

Here is an example of that two cups of veggies and protein meal. I used fresh veggies for this. I cut the corn from the cob. The green beans are tender French beans cut in half. The red pepper is about 1/2 a fresh red pepper. I lightly sauteed this in olive oil. Then I added chicken breast that I had cooked last night. I like to cook ahead of time so I can reduce my prep time. As soon as the chicken was heated through the veggies were cooked through too. This lunch took me about 15 minutes to make!

Cardio-knitting progress? I have a 12 week goal for my sock drawer and for my body. The sock drawer will have an influx of 8 pair. (I may have added a couple to the ultimate 4 month sock goal. I could be crazy this way.) My goal is to knit on my spin bike as often as I can. Some of my patterns have intricate cables. Those are hard to do while biking. Today's sock is a pattern from Cookie A's book Sock. Knit. Love. The pattern is Mona. It is a fun lace knit that is easy to memorize. Patterns that are easy to memorize are good candidates for cardio-knitting.

I have been using the Awake Energy Shots at the beginning of my workouts. I love it! I get to the 45 minute mark on my cardio and I'm still enjoying myself. Believe me when you are spending an hour on a spin bike you are happy when you don't notice time ticking by. You are even happier when you are still enjoying yourself! Bonus? No jitters just mellow energy. It is the most calm Awake feeling I've ever experienced.

SOCKS!!!

My friends and family know I love knitting socks. They may not know that I love socks in general. Seriously. Socks are important. I have special socks for each type of shoe and activity. I may knit socks but they are not appropriate for wearing on all occasions or in all shoes. Today I'll tell you about my running sock fascination.

Sneakers for example require athletic socks. For working at the gym basic cotton socks will be fine. There is no worry about blisters while moving around and handing weights to clients. Running though? That is a different story. I started with a nice running sock. It was one that was a moisture wicking sock. After a year I discovered toe socks. Initially I purchased them to wear in my Vibram 5 Finger shoes. They were perfect! About that same time I went on a 12 mile run and developed blisters. I was shocked. My favorite socks, my favorite running shoes, no crazy weather, no mud puddles, nothing new except blisters. I searched out advice. I learned other runners found toe socks helped prevent blisters by giving cushion and moisture absorption between the toes. I had a pair so why not give them a try? I now have six pair and they are wearing out. I will admit they have many miles on them and close to 2 years of use. I'll be replacing them this spring. Why not? They serve their purpose quite well. They hold up but perhaps that is because I limit my use to running only. They are precious running equipment. I keep them for runs only.

Last month I knit a pair of new socks. They are heavily cabled and teal green. I love them. They are super soft and very warm. I was lucky enough to have a chilly morning after they were done to wear them. Most of my wool socks will be washed and stored soon. I find summer too warm for merino hand knit socks. I will however be spending a great deal of time knitting more socks to add to the beautiful sock drawer. The March addition?