On Hiatus...

I have a huge project I have been working on that will hopefully come to completion with success in the next few weeks. I am really looking forward to returning to a regular, more balanced life after that. Please stay tuned :-)

Love These Bars!!

A new snack I bought that I am pleasantly surprised by: Kashi TLC "Tasty Little Chewies Fruit and Grain Bars". I've bought these before but there seem to be new flavors out now. These new bars are slightly smaller, have fewer calories, but, (get this!) and a substantial layer of fruit or chocolate (depending on the flavor) on top. I've tried Dark Chocolate Coconut and Pumpkin Pie (those are two different bars, not one over the top dessert explosion). They taste like dessert - Yum! Especially the Dark Chocolate Coconut one.
Stats: 120 cal. 3 gr. fat, 4 gr. fiber, 4 gr. protein per 1.1 oz. bar.
Has anyone tried Larabars? I've heard of these recently but have never tried them.

Healthy Egg Salad

I just invented this healthy way to make egg salad:

• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 1/4 cup non-fat greek-style joghurt
• 1tbs honey-mustard
• 2tbs chopped scallion
• 1tbs chopped cilantro
• squirt of lime juice
• salt, pepper, paprika

Check out the stats: the whole thing is about 130 calories, 5 gr. fat, 26 gr protein

Intervals!

I've heard and read this everywhere for months now: Do your cardio in intervals because it is way more effective. As I was growing increasingly weary of doing my 30 min. runs on the treadmill, I decided it was time for a change and the change came in the form of intervals.
It's only been two weeks of this, so I can't really tell whether I am running way more effectively, as it has been heralded by fans of the intervals way. What I can attest to is that it is psychologically refreshing. Instead of watching 30 minutes tick away, I've broken it down in my head to three sets of 10 minutes, and I try to work my speed up to its maximum by the end of each third. So in other words, I want to run at least at an 8.0 pace as my maximum, and I therefore try to reach and sustain that, starting from 30, by minute 20, minute 10 and 0. In order to progress, I've played around with trying to sustain the 8.0 pace for longer and longer, so now I am running at or above an 8.0 from minute 23-minute 20, minute 13-minute 10, etc.
I guess each person has to find what works best for them. This, more than anything, has kept my brain occupied in a different way during my runs, which is a much needed change!

Self 2009 Challenge - Don't bother!

Fit Sugar just promoted the Self Magazine 2009 challenge. I discovered this in leafing through the recent Self at the gym last week and because it promised all kinds of incredible free online tools for keeping track of my progress, I went to the Self website and I checked it out.
I'm totally disappointed. The tools allow you to log your calories burned in exercise and your calories consumed through diet. Sounds helpful enough, but it is actually pretty rudimentary. I was frustrated that the only strenght training it allows me to log calories burned for is their own published routine - and I am not really interested in following that. Also, the cardio has to fit into their pre-established schemas too, as well as the diet.
Pretty much, if you decide to follow the diet and exercise plan they published then the website allows you to track your progress online. Any deviation leads to complication.
This may be good if you are just starting out, but definitely not for someone with experience.
On top of everything, I am annoyed that I had to create an account to investigate the 2009 Challenge and the website does not make it easy at all for me to delete said account now that I've discovered that the tools suck. Grr.

Counting Away

I've noticed that out of the 30 lbs I've lost in the past year, five crept back up on me somehow. I was pissed for a while ( I work out all the time!! How can this be? If I can't eat cookies and ice cream and chocolate once in a while, who can??) but then decided to suck it up and just shed it. After all, it's only 5 lbs. So I started counting the caloric value of what I eat about a week ago and was amazed to see how fast things add up! Really, try it!
I am finding that this new practice is kindof liberating. It does not sound like it would be, keeping track of all the numbers and all, but it is and here's how: I generally find myself snacky and hungry at the end of the day, and now I can 1) economize my calories throughout the day and save some to be consumed at night, because I know I will get hungry and 2) not feel back that I am snacking at night, especially when my numbers indicate that I am still below the daily limit. It's great. AND since two weeks ago, I am already down 2 lbs! Hurray!
One thing I am wondering about is where to best determine what my daily intake should be. I don't have time for meeting up with the trainer right now for his fancy equipment and complicated equations.. and one online site based on my height and activity level recommends 2400 a day which is the highest quote I've ever seen! Any tips for better online resources?

My hearts beats for cardio

Okay, I admit that I meant that title in a slightly sarcastic tone. My heart shuns away from cardio lately, though I do it 30 min a day nonetheless, thus resulting in it being a drag.
Here is how I try to keep it interesting. I find five different ways a week to do at least 30 minutes of cardio:
Mondays: elliptical
Tuesdays: spinning
Wednesdays: combo (10min run, 10min bike, 10min stairmaster in a row)
Thursdays: boot camp (they have me run bleachers, sprints) or treadmill
Fridays: run on treadmill
I keep trying to invent new ways. I recently tried the row machine but it was a better warmup for an upper body workout than a cardio session.
Any cardio tips to keep it interesting?