Vacation Food Spiral

There is something about vacation that just makes you want to eat and drink. A lot. Who am I kidding. I like to eat and drink all the time, but vacations seem to compound that fact. I am pretty sure I gained close to ten pounds in Italy and have almost always come back from tropical islands with a few extra pounds from too many fruity tropical drinks with umbrellas...

 

so. tasty.

Anyway, I went to NYC this weekend and ate at least 5 bagels over the course of three days. I know people always claim that New York bagels are the best, but I never really believed it. I was wrong. Dead wrong. Those things are friggin' delicious. I want them in my life all the time. 

 

*need*

I also ate out a bunch which is never good for the wallet or the waistline. BUT if you are going to eat out in Brooklyn/NYC I recommend the following: 

 

Sea Thai Restaurant & Bistro http://www.seathainyc.com/sea/brooklyn/ 

  

http://bakehousenyc.com/ - ask for Brad

And whatever falafel place was near the Bedford L Stop. So so good. Or if you aren't in the mood to go out, find a fabulous gay man who wants to throw a cocktail party at your apartment you rented from airbnb http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/21218 and have them make little sandwiches, cheese plates, and crudites. Perfect party idea.

So I ate. And then I ate. And then I ate some more. Oh and then there were drunk chicken tenders. And by drunk chicken tenders I mean, chicken tenders that I was eating drunk. They were salty. I like salty when drunk.

I even tried *really* hard to go for a run while I was there. It was on my training schedule. I failed miserably, but my running capris and new Celtics t-shirt I bought for $11 a TJ Maxx made for an excellent set of pj's. I guess vacation isn't the place for me to attempt to be all "I'm a runner and I do it all the time." Maybe that only happens when I'm home and have nothing better to do or don't have fun absinthe/oyster bars to hang out at.

 

fancy pants oldey-timey awesome

 

on bedford avenue to boot!

I guess I just need to try harder on my next vacation to not eat or drink as much...or at the very least to get more exercise in. See ya Memorial Day Washington DC!!!

Flooded from Showers

8 Wedding Invites =
   1 Bridesmaid Invitation Accepted =
      5 Bridal Shower Invites + 4 Bachelorette Invites =
           8 Wedding gifts/cards + 6 Shower gifts/cards + Costly bachelorette shenanigans=
                1 Bridesmaid dress + Shoes + Tailoring =
                     2 Plane tickets + At least 3 hotel reservations x 2 night minimum for one room=
                                      HOLY HELL!!!

3 Pregnant Friends (and it is only March) =
    3 Baby Showers =
         3 Baby gifts/cards + Welcome baby to the world present (i.e. flowers for new Mom) =
                                     HOLY HELL SQUARED!!!

I'm feeling blessed by all the wonderful people in my life and flattered to be a part of all their special moments. However, I'm also feeling overwhelmed with scheduling and expenses that go along with all the festivities!

Here is how I'm currently coping, but all other advice, suggestions, loopholes are welcome!

              * Working an extra job waiting tables

          * Using http://www.etsy.com/ for all of my wedding gift needs- AWESOME  and inexpensive gifts!
          * Rewearing all wedding guest dresses from my past

Always a bridesmaid never a bride...sigh...

~Marcy



The Power of Cross Training

According to the majority of literature I have read regarding fitness and exercise, the key to any good exercise program is cross training. I 100% agree with this. My cross training includes the following:

Running at the gym:

 

(Like TBS: Characters Welcome)

Taking Ollie for Walks at Bellamy Wildlife Management or Wagon Hill Farm:

 

(He's so 70's)

Hiking thru the villages of Cinque Terre, Italy:

 

(It is actually more beautiful than this picture portrays)

Running around Downtown Dover with adoptable dogs like Apollo:

 

(He makes a fantastic trainer)

And finally...12 oz curls:

 

(I sense a theme developing in my posts...)

- Kate

Erin Go Bragh!

St. Paddys Day 5 Miler- 52 min

While wearing shamrock specs!!!!

xoxo

m

The Dreaded Food Journal

So here is the depressing scoop...
I think I may have indulged too much over the 2011 holidays. I have since trained and ran a half marathon and gone one whole month with no sugar (except natural sugar i.e., fruits, etc) and am STILL about 5lbs more than my typical baseline weight (which is a number I always strive to lower as is).
*SIGH*
At this point I'm starting to feel frustrated and slightly unmotivated as you can imagine.
I know that I cheat eat way too much, especially on the weekends so I figure it couldn't hurt to reconsider the tedious but evidenced based effective strategy of food journaling!
I will also be keeping track of exercise and water intake.

I hear by state, in blog land, that I will stay true to this goal for at least 2 weeks!
~Marcy L. Borak

PS- I'll also be doing weigh ins which I may not share with you ;)

Exhibit A-

TGIF!

~Marcy



Confessions and Chores

Confession Time: 

I kinda fell off the running wagon for a few weeks after the half marathon. I was more like this:

 

(Baby Sloths are Adorable)

Than this:

(Too Rainy...)

Or this:

(Note: I will never look like this)

Before yesterday, I had only run once since February 19th. I told myself I could take a week off because I deserved it. One week turned into two and could have spiraled out of control. I felt terrible. I was also eating like crap and spending my weekends sleeping. A lot. I needed to run. Not just to stay in shape, but I missed it. That is a sentence I thought I would never say. Missed running...I guess there is something to be said for it's addictive qualities. This article kinda sums up how I feel about it. Basically, it is a good addiction: http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/02/10/the-power-of-positive-addiction/

Anyway, moving on to the present (technically the past as I'm writing this). I felt like I accomplished a lot yesterday. Wednesdays always seem to be my "get shit done" day. I try to clean my condo, do errands, and whatnot on Wednesday because Ollie has gone to daycare for the day and I don't feel guilty about not taking him out for exercise. 

Last night I went to the gym right after work. I only ran 3 miles (per my training schedule), but I felt great about it. I was next to some crazy bird who ran 2 miles alternating 2 minutes at a 3.5 pace and then 1 minute at a 7.2 pace. She looked like a total a-hole. I'm cool with my steady 5.5, thanks! I could write a blog post a day on all the crazy people I see at the gym. I wonder if they are looking at me the same way...everyone looks at everyone else right?!?! The Oatmeal thinks so: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/gym

PS: I *LOVE* The Oatmeal. The guy that makes those drawings is hilarious. Check 'em out!

I picked up Ollie after the gym and knew that he was toast as soon as we got home. He was exhausted last night and fine with being a couch/bed potato while I did stuff:

 

(I super love him when he's sleepy)

Cleaning burns calories or so I've been told. According to Self online:  http://www.self.com/calculatorsprograms/calculators/  I burned 200+ during the hour I spent cleaning. Sweet!

So Ollie got tons of exercise, I got a little bit, and the cats even joined in on the fun. Sofia has gotten fat. She is the epitome of laziness and only moves to get food or poop. I love her to death, but the girl is getting hefty. I figure the laser pointer will give her some exercise plus it is hilarious to watch. Research is still out as to whether this is actual torture for cats since they can never get it and when you finally turn it off they look like they are going to lose their minds. Like this:

 

I feel the same way being at work on this gorgeous day. Already 53 degrees and climbing. Definitely running outside...and then drinking many spring/summery beers!

 

(Tasty)

- Kate

Work Out to Drink Up

Running the St. Paddys Day 5 miler on Sunday- http://paddysfivemiler.com

Trying to figure out what to wear- definitely going green...obv...

It makes a race more fun when you dress up. See below for confirmation:

&

Now to just find the right outfit for this weekend...
Suggestions welcome!

I'm now sitting here attempting to get the energy to put on gym clothes

Plan- 60 minutes of Body Step then consume wine!!

Assuming that my glass of wine is 5oz. (doubt it)- I can consume at least 4 glasses post workout, right?!

This fact is motivating enough for me to slip on my sneaks! 

Cheers!
~M

ITEM

RED WINE   5 OZ 147.5g

WHITE WINE   5 OZ 147.5g

Calories

106

100

Carbohydrates

2.51g

1.18g

Living Parallel Lives?

Just peeked at Kate's last blog post and recognized her weekend angst as my own...
A lot of eating + little calorie burn = guilt with a side of fattened thighs

Marcy's weekend- Eats vs. Activity-

*Friday AM eats- kicked off my weekend (because Fridays are part of the weekend, right?) with a Blueberry,  Almond and Coconut muffin from the Big Bean  http://www.thebigbeancafe.com/- Go There!!!!
PM eats- out to eat again!- Vegetable quesadillas, greek salad and fish sandwich-  all split with the better half oh, and a couple of Guinesses (Guinessi ?)

*Saturday AM eats- Homemade protein bar- aka Cherie Bar (named after my mom) and coffee...
 Saturday Activity- shop til you drop at Kittery outlets!!
 Lunch- a dabbling of finger sandwiches at a friend's bridal shower, glass of white wine,  plus a cupcake (it  
 was small :)
 Dinner- Dark & Stormy, lobster roll and sweet potato fries- yummmmmy!
 PM Activity- night at the theater- my brother Sean starred in Hair- and he was awesome per usual; next 
 stop- Broadway!

 Late night snack- veggie nachos and more beers with the family after the show

*Sunday AM eats- breakfast out with the fam- eggs florentine
 Sunday Activity- actually got out for a 4 mile run!
 Sunday PM eats- Sunday is always pizza meal day- and two beers :)

Eats Wins Again!!

xo

M

That Kind of Weekend

I had one of those kinds of weekends... The kind of weekend where you lay on your bed trying to get motivated to go running and end up taking a two hour nap and then watch Roadhouse while telling yourself: "I'll run tomorrow." The kind of weekend where you don't shower until 5:30pm on Saturday and that is only because you need to go get food from the grocery store. Seriously, you never know who you'll see at Hannaford. The kind of weekend where you purchase a microwave enchilada meal that looks way better on the box than how it actually tastes (terrible). This was the more "appropriate choice" considering you wanted to make tacos, but having 10 taco shells in the house while drinking Coronas seemed...dangerous. The kind of weekend where you mill about on a Sunday only getting off the couch to check and see if food has appeared in your fridge since the last time you looked. It hasn't. The kind of weekend where you say (again): "I'll run tomorrow, for real though." And hopefully, you mean it. The kind of weekend where you get motivated to leave your house because you are craving a Shamrock shake and you can't kick your inner fat kid monologue. You buy a crispy chicken sandwich for good measure. The kind of weekend where you review your weekend choices (both food and activity related) and realize that: Tomorrow is the start of a brand new week. You can, and you will, make better choices... Kate

Kate's Inaugural Post

Marcy and I have been friends for almost ten years (a fact that had alluded me until I just tried to figure it out). She is without a doubt my food/beverage/travel soul-mate. 

We both love eating. A lot. We also like drinking. A lot. This doesn't make us alcoholics. Trust me. We're not. Though we do send each other emails almost every day about how it would be much more fun if we were drinking a glass of wine or a beer rather than working. These are usually sent around 9:30-10 in the morning. So yea, maybe we do have a problem. Or maybe it is just our jobs... 

To say the two of us love cheese would be an understatement of epic proportions. When we went to Italy this past fall, I think we both almost died when we came upon this little shop in Venice:

 

Cheese! Meat! Love!

We also found a place that had some delicious homemade bread and another place where you could buy 2 liters of wine for $2-3 Euros. It was amazing! We sat along the Grand Canal in Venice and drank and ate and watched the rain clear out to reveal a beautiful night in Venice.

The Italy trip was everything I love about life. Friends, sisters, wine, cheese, bread, encased meat, travel, beaches, beers on a hot day, hiking, new cultures, photography. I loved it. I am desperate to plan another one as soon as I can take a dent out of my credit card bill from the last trip! :)

So back to the blog, Marcy emailed me a few weeks ago to ask if I wanted to start a blog about all the things we love. I've already listed the unhealthier side of the blog, but we will be dipping into the healthy side of things too. We just finished our first half marathon and I have already signed up for my second in May. Running is a great way to relieve stress, stay somewhat healthy (to offset my unhealthy habits), and to get some exercise for my dog Ollie. 

 

When Marcy proposed that we run a half marathon last October, I was doubtful. I didn't like running. At all. I hated it after the first 2 mile run in my training program when my lungs were burning and my ears hurt from the cold. I really didn't think I could do it. Thankfully, my sister sent me some inspirational Youtube videos about running and I was hooked. I really do love it and it got me back into shape after many, many months of not working out at all. I could totally see myself becoming a running nut especially when I go onto Pinterest and find some image of a super in shape runner or a cool quote. Here's one that covers both:

 

And yes, I want her body. 

So that is my first blog post. Expect more posts with the following: 

- Lots of pictures because I love taking them...especially of food. Even if it is the most unhealthy thing I have ever ate.

- Cool motivational quotes. I like to inspire myself and hope to inspire others.

- Yummy recipes

- Running/gym stuff and my love/hate relationship with working out.

- Thoughts about my dog and cats. They. Are. Crazypants.

- Ideas for dream jobs. I have a million. I just need to execute.

- Funny things I find on the internet. This blog is about healthy living and I think it is really important to laugh.

- Links to other websites

- Random stuff that I find and can somehow translate into blog material...this thing may morph into a whole different beast as we go on! Stay tuned!

Kate