Weekend Recap

What to do on a hot and lazy Saturday afternoon with one of your oldest friends?

Well first we dove into the overgrown raspberry bushes and picked a couple of bowls full of berries...

...and then we settled down in the shadiest, coolest part of the yard, ate berries and got caught up on each other's lives. It was so great to be able to spend time with my friend Wen-Chin - we hadn't seen each other in ten years, but it felt just like yesterday from the moment we saw each other at the train station. Isn't that great when you can have that instant reconnect with an old friend?

On Sunday it was the Belgian Cycling Championship and it was being held right in our town. Stefaan and I went out early for a short run (5 km) before it got too hot, but we were already feeling the heat - I felt sorry for the bikers already.

After lunch we headed downtown to watch the cyclists. We saw them pass through about five times (they had to do a total of 17 times around the 14 km course - it took them about 6 hours!). It was pretty exciting!

I even managed to see my favorite Belgian cyclist, Sven Nys, pass by in the peloton a couple of times!

All in all it was a fun day, we were having a good time people watching and enjoying the atmosphere. And on a hot day, nothing tastes better than a cold Stella right from the tap!

Today it's back to good behavior and normal life - I hit the gym, which felt like a sauna and got my first workout of the week done. It was hard, sweaty, and after three sets of lunges my legs felt (and still feel) like jello. What a way to start the week!

Sunny Sporty Weekend

We are having a hot and beautiful weekend here - it feels so good to have the summer finally in full swing. I realized I haven't blogged on any work outs or running in a while - last week I got two New Rules workouts done, LOTS of biking and walking but no running. And this weekend, an old friend of ours from Taiwan will be visiting. We haven't seen her in 10 years! When she left Belgium the boys were all so little. We will have a lot of catching up to do. In an hour I have to go meet her at the train station and I am really excited!

Tonight the USA plays Ghana in the world cup and we are going to be rooting for them. And on Sunday the Belgian Cycling Championships take place in our town, Leuven! They will be racing a 14 km loop around the city - 17 times!! How's that for some serious loop action? The race starts at noon and is expected to last until about 6pm. It takes them about 20 minutes to complete one full loop. Also my favorite biker (who I have seen twice training while out for my runs), Sven Nys, will be participating, and even though he isn't expected to be in the top ranks (he is a cyclocross and mountain biker) it will still be cool to cheer for him!

We are planning to walk downtown and watch the bikers, and also show our friend how the city has changed in the last ten years. I think she will be amazed.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Good News All Around

Wednesday was a great day! After Felix got home from school at lunch time we decided to go see Toy Story 3, which just opened here. A life size Woody in Lego was there to greet us at the cinema...and - good news - the movie was great! If you go see it and you're a mom, take some kleenex... And can I just say, I LOVE Tom Hanks (even if it's just his voice).

When we got out of the movies we were desperate to find out what was happening with the soccer matches - it was the day that the US was playing Algeria and Slovenia vs. England. We went to our public library where they had a big screen set up for people to watch. They were showing the England-Slovenia match and we were kept in suspense until the game ended and they told us the result of the US vs. Algeria - one goal in the 91st minute and our team went through to the second round!! It wasn't easy to be cool until we got out of the library and we could finally give each other high fives and cheers!

Then Felix wanted to do a little shopping with some of his birthday money - he got a nifty little tabletop soccer game. Finally it was time to go to the Thai House, his favorite restaurant, where we had a great meal out on the patio - the weather was just perfect.

After walking home it was time for cake and candles...

Finally, after a long day, we had the best news of the day - someone we love dearly and who is facing cancer treatment just got word that their scans were clear which means the cancer didn't spread. So we are keeping our fingers crossed that the rest of the treatment road goes as smoothly as possible for them and that they are blessed with a full recovery. That would be the best news ever.

Birthday Boy!

I can hardly believe it - this little guy is a big 11-year-old today! Happy Birthday Felix!

Of course, we will be celebrating today...he gets to chose a place to go an eat out and he chose the one of his favorites: the local Thai restaurant.

I just took a sponge cake out of the oven - he requested it filled with raspberries. Lucky for him having his birthday in June, there are always fresh raspberries on our bushes!

Now if only the US wins today and goes through to the second round in the World Cup and the team shirt we ordered with "Donovan" and "10" on it arrives, it will be the perfect birthday...keeping my fingers crossed for Felix!

A Little Visitor

Our next door neighbor was all excited the other day to show us a family of four baby hedgehogs that were living in the compost pile in his back yard. We also thought they were cute and fascinating little guys. Yesterday afternoon my kids went out to play soccer in our yard but came back very quickly to tell me one of the baby hedgehogs almost got stepped on and was right in the middle of the grass! Seeing him all rolled up in a ball made me think of Alice in Wonderland and playing croquet with hedgehogs...

What to do? I got some well padded gardening gloves and carefully picked him up. It wasn't hard - he had curled himself into a tight little ball. We put him in a plastic tub and very carefully carried him back to our neighbor's compost pile, where one of his siblings was sleeping peacefully in the sun.

They are cute little guys, aren't they?

PS: A fellow blogger and someone who is very wise about weight loss, Sandra, is auditioning for a show on Oprah's new network! Please check it out and if you feel so inclined, help her out with your vote. Good luck, Sandra!

Phase 1 Halfway Done!

Hectic morning today - had to get to the grocery store to get food in for lunch (both big boys plus husband home today), have enough time to make the lunch, and wanted to get my New Rules workout in this morning too. For a minute I was thinking about waiting and doing it in the afternoon but I finally decided just to bite the bullet and get it out of the way. I'm so glad I did - I still have plenty of time to make lunch and I have that good feeling of gotten a lot accomplished. In addition to that, I am now halfway through Phase 1!

The next 8 workouts in Phase 1 will take longer because they will require 3 sets for each exercise instead of two. I am glad today was still a relatively short workout - I biked to the gym, did 12 minutes on the elliptical, did the weights, stretched and biked home. I left at 9:45 and got home at 11:00. Phew! Now my spaghetti sauce is bubbling on the stove and in a minute I will get the water boiling for the pasta - I am making "Spaghetti al Forno" today. The only thing that will have to wait til after lunch is my shower!!

Thanks to everyone for all the advice on the Garmins yesterday - from what I can tell, people who have a Garmin, no matter what model, seem to love using it for running. Thanks to AJH especially for the link to this review of the 110. So I think I am definitely going to get one - just a question of deciding which one...I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Garmin Question

Anyone out there have experience with the Garmin GPS sportswatches Forerunner 110 or 405? I am considering getting one of the smaller, more streamlined Garmins and I'm just not sure what the advantage of the one over the other is... The 110 is a bit less expensive, but seems to be out of stock on all the websites I've looked at. Would love some feedback if you have any thoughts on this - thanks!

It's a gray, blah, windy, chilly Sunday morning and so yes, I have been procrastinating by doing Garmin research, instead of getting out there and getting my run done. I do plan to go, though, as I feel achy and stiff and I know a run will be just the ticket to perk me up! Just have to get my rear end off this chair and step away from the laptop!!!

RUN UPDATE: Yes, I did manage to pull myself away from the computer screen, get my gear on and go run - and it felt SO GOOD!! I had a certain route in mind that would have been about 8 km but my legs were just itching to go further and not wanting to stop so I just followed along, and took a totally different route to the big park. Once I got there I did two fast loops around the lake, and then decided to run back the same way I had come, thinking it would probably end up being more like 9 km. I felt good all the way until the last 20 minutes or so when I got a lot slower and really had to work hard to run with good form. I ended up getting home after 70 minutes of pretty much non-stop running (took one short walk break) and when I checked the mileage on Map My Run, I was really surprised to come out at 10.1 km!!!

Most of all I was surprised (and happy) at how good the run felt and how good I feel after doing it, in spite of having a couple of weeks where I have really cut back.

Hope you all have a very happy Sunday!

PS: We were all very bummed here with the terrible call by the ref on the USA's third goal in the match against Slovenia! We are keeping our fingers (and toes) crossed that our team still manages to qualify for the second round - next matches on Wednesday!

Fit Friday & Go USA!

I got my third New Rules workout of the week in this morning, which means I am almost halfway done with the first phase - woo hoo! I started out with 20 minutes on the elliptical. Today's exercises were:

• squats


• pushups


• bent over row with dumbbells


• step-ups


• prone jackknife on swiss ball

It was so nice, the gym was pretty empty, which is just the way I like it! On the two sets of pushups I had to do 12 reps, so I did as many regular pushups as I could and finished the set with knee pushups. On the first set I managed to do 6 real pushups, on the second set I eked out 7! That's the most real pushups I have ever done! I surprised myself more than a little bit with that - I guess it does show that I am getting stronger.

This afternoon we are all excited to watch the American soccer team play their second match in the World Cup against Slovenia - go USA! We sure hope they win and make it to the second round.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Drinking water is so important! part 1

Drinking water is so important! part 2

Wednesday workout

Just a quick post as I have to get lunch in the oven before my boys get home for their afternoon of studying!

My lower back was really sore after Monday's workout, and I debated about whether I should take another rest day. But I figured I would go to the gym and see how I felt - maybe some exercise would make it feel better. Plus today's exercises weren't quite so hard on the lower back as Monday's. Today I had to do:

• deadlifts
• overhead shoulder press
• wide grip lat pulldown
• lunges
• swiss ball crunches

I started out with 20 minutes on the treadmill, doing intervals of 2 minutes fast, 2 minutes easy jogging. That went well and felt good. The deadlifts did feel hard with the sore back so I kept the weights reasonable. Everything else was okay. But my back is still sore! But it probably would have been sore whether I went or not, so at least I feel good about getting my workout in.

Now I need to go make a quiche!

Monday Morning Blues

Not for me but definitely for most of the political parties here in Flanders - except for the NVA, which is a Flemish Nationalist party and the big winner of the elections, and the Green party, which did a little bit better than in the last elections. On the French speaking side of Belgium, it was the Socialist party that was the big winner. So it will be very interesting to see how the NVA and the Socialists manage to put a government together. I hope for Belgium that we finally get a government that puts the good of the country first instead of quibbling for months and playing power games. We shall see... but don't worry, I don't think Belgium will be splitting up anytime soon.

I headed off to the gym this morning to get my New Rules workout done. I'm going to get more cardio in this week, including more running than last week. Today I biked to the gym, did 12 minutes on the elliptical, did the weight workout, and then biked (slowly) home. The workout went well, I can definitely feel it now!

This week final exams are in full swing for my two oldest kids. This means they go to school in the morning, take an exam, come home for lunch and then studying. They actually love this time of year and they make sure to make lots of special requests for lunches and snacks. I have to say I enjoy it too - it's nice to have them around and I don't mind the special requests!

Father's Day, Election Day & Running Day!

It's Father's Day here in Belgium, so Happy Father's Day to all those special dads. Extra special wishes and a big hug to my own dad, who's been there for me for more than forty years; and to my husband for being a great dad for the last 15. (Stefaan also took the above picture last year when he was in Tokyo...I love this picture, the burst of color in the little girl's kimono and the random people around her and her father, the way he is looking back and adjusting his tie, the patterns on the pavement mixed with the shadows of the people...)

It's also election day, so when we went out for our run this morning we passed so many people on their way to the polling stations in our neighborhood. We saw several people I knew and Stefaan noticed I tend to speed up when I see someone I know! Does anyone else do this?

We ran all the way to the big park with the lakes, ran around the lake, and then ran home again. All for a total of about 7.5 km and 50 minutes. It felt really good to be out running, my right leg felt a lot better and I felt like I could have gone on for a lot longer, which was a great feeling to have! We didn't go for longer, though, because we had to get home so Stefaan could go vote and I could make a special lunch for Father's Day. Hope you all had a good Sunday!

Feeling Groovy

Three New Rules workouts done this week! The workouts really get me sweating. I have been doing them all at home so far but have now reached the upper limits on the dumbbells I own and will start doing them at the gym next week. I kind of like being able to do the first few workouts at home, just to give me a chance to get used to how to do the exercises - and not have people think I am a big dork because I keep flipping through the book to read the explanations all the time!

I didn't run AT ALL this week - gasp! I actually think my right leg really benefitted from the time off, as it is gradually starting to feel more normal. Next week I plan to start adding the running (and other cardio) back in, first of all as a 15-20 minute warmup before the weight workouts. The week after that, if I am feeling good, I will add an interval run on a non-weightlifting day. And I have still kept my Sunday long easy run, of course, so actually I guess I did run, didn't I? Well, you know what I mean, right?

Hope you all have a great weekend! A lot of you have already started your summer vacation but we have our two oldest kids right in the middle of final exams and so they will be busy studying all weekend long...the last day of school is June 30 - can't wait!

Thanks and Food

Thanks for the supportive comments! About the protein powders: right now I am using an unflavored, unsweetened soy protein powder (I plan to switch to hemp when the I've used the soy up); I use it once or twice per day depending on if it's a workout day or not (in New Rules you are supposed to have a post-workout recovery shake on workout days so I add a scoop to that and I have been adding a scoop to my morning oatmeal as well). I am trying to shoot for about 100 grams of protein per day, so yes, the protein powder really helps. Just to give you an idea, here is what I ate on Monday (a workout day):

• 1/2 c. dry oatmeal, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 T raisins, 1 T pumpkin seeds, 200 ml soymilk (about 25 g protein)
• smoothie: 1/2 c blueberries, 1/2 banana, 200 ml soymilk, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 t cocoa powder (about 16 g protein)
• 2 small slices ezekiel bread, 4 mini tofu quiches (really good crustless recipe from Fat Free Vegan), salad w/ lettuce, carrots, cucumber, 1 t olive oil, 1 T gomasio (about 19 g protein)
• Power Bar protein bar (17 g protein) - this was an emergency situation! - I was at the store and had to pick up my son straight afterwards and I was starving and knew I wouldn't make it til I got home and had a healthier snack! I usually have fruit and nuts in the afternoon...
• Chili Mac (a yummy vegan recipe from Jenny with whole grain pasta, Boca crumbles, beans and veggies) plus steamed broccoli and raw veggies (about 15 g protein)

It came out to around 92 grams of protein total and I know, it is a bit soy-heavy! I prefer to eat soy as unprocessed as possible, which for me means tofu and soy milk or soy yogurt. I do try to get about two servings of soy each day because it really helps with perimenopausal symptoms (it really does, trust me!) but I try not to go overboard. So I will be really glad when I finish my big jug of soy protein powder and can switch to something else - hopefully hemp if I can find it here.

Yesterday was a non-workout day, and since I didn't run either, the calories and protein were lower. Here's what it looked like:

• breakfast same as Monday (about 25 g protein)
• banana with 1 T tahini (about 3 g protein)
• whole wheat couscous-broccoli salad with chickpeas, raisins, feta (great recipe from Body and Soul magazine - I usually leave the feta out but since we had some in the fridge and it added to the protein content I threw it in - 21 g protein)
• 3 small apricots, 12 almonds (about 4 g protein)
• 2 lentil tacos with 2 small whole wheat tortillas (this is a great recipe from Runner's World magazine and came out to about 18 g protein without the cheese which I didn't use)
• 1 glass red wine

Aside from the feta cheese and protein powder in my oatmeal, this is a more "normal" eating day for me (especially because of the red wine!). It came out to about 70 grams of protein, which I think is adequate on a non-lifting day or for someone who isn't doing resistance training. I actually wasn't terribly hungry all day - maybe due to the larger amount of protein on Monday?

Anyway, I am trying not to be too obsessed but keeping tabs on the protein seems to be helpful right now. And I will try to put links up for the recipes if I can find them again! (Woo-hoo! I found them all - and they are all recipes I use again and again - bon appetit!)

New Week with New Rules!

Have you ever done one of those resistance training programs that seems deceptively simple while you're doing it but later has you groaning at the slightest normal daily movement? Well, New Rules of Lifting for Women is definitely one of those programs! I did my second workout yesterday (started with the first one last Thursday) and today I am really feeling it! Yesterday's workout was deadlifts, shoulder presses, lat pullovers, lunges, and swiss ball crunches. That doesn't seem too terrible, does it? Then why am I so sore???

For the first 8 weeks you alternate between two full body workouts, working out three days a week. You aren't really encouraged to do much additional cardio while doing this program and after asking Lori what she thought (Lori being an experienced NRLFWer with helpful videos of some of the exercise on her blog), I decided to cut back on my running for the first week or two, and see how that goes. I am still doing my usual biking and walking and a long run on Sunday.

The harder part for me on these kind of programs is the nutrition. Trying to get the amount of protein this particular plan recommends in on a vegan diet is complicated, not so much that it is hard to get enough protein, but because most vegan protein sources are also either high in fat (nuts, tofu, soymilk) or high in carbs (beans, whole grains), so it's not so cut and dried as picking a portion of carbs and a portion of protein. But I am going to do the best I can - and may use some eggs or salmon from time to time. Most important to me is to continue to eat whole foods and lots of fruits and veggies!

So, my fitness goals for the next 12 weeks are:

• get stronger
• lose some weight
• improve my shape ( = fit into my clothes better or need to buy new clothes!)
• be ready for half marathon training in September (= keep running but don't get injured!)

I'll keep you posted on how I do on these goals - wish me luck!

Back in the Saddle & Big Plans!

I took an entire week off running after the 20 km of Brussels - and I was pretty stiff through Wednesday, so it was necessary! This morning Stefaan and I braved the muggy heat and ran to the Finnish track where we did three laps and then back home: 5 km in about 35 minutes. It felt good to run but kind of hard too, but I think that might have been more to do with the heat.

So what are my big plans? Well, I have decided to join my mom and her two sisters as well as my sister Jenny in Florida in November for the Women's Half Marathon in St. Petersburg! My mom's older sister will be turning 70 and decided walking a half marathon was how she wanted to celebrate! Now you know I love running for a purpose and this seemed like a great reason to sign up - so 24 weeks from now I'll be running a beautiful flat course in sunny St. Pete - I think I just might be shooting for a PR and I know I will have a great time hanging with my mom, my aunts and my sister! Not to mention I will be in the US for my first Thanksgiving in 21 years (and will even get to run a Turkey Trot)!

So for the next 12 weeks I am going to be focusing more on weight training - I am doing the program from the book "New Rules of Lifting for Women" - and then the second 12 weeks I will shift into half marathon training. That's my plan!