Excuses

We all have them.  Today mine wanted to be, "I have a never ending to do list and I slept so horribly last night I don't think I've got a run in me. I really don't know where the energy is going to come from."  Then I looked outside and a brand new thought of, " I can't waste this amazing weather" took over and before I knew it I was lacing up my running shoes with a brand new playlist to go and see what happens.  Once that playlist got started and I let my body take over instead of letting my thoughts dictate my actions I nailed those 2 miles.  My excuses seemed preposterous as I powered through and had a few moments where I felt invincible.  After I knocked out that Pilates Fix from the 21 day fix without any trouble.  Thank you post workout high :)

Working out has become my stress reliever and the best way to calm and center my thoughts that tend to run at 250 miles per hour.  It's my time where when I put my mind over matter and just give it everything I have for that time period I know I'll feel accomplished and able to conquer any other challenge of the day.  My fellow grad students tend to give me a hard time about it but I don't mind.  I know that I feel stronger and more motivated in all aspects of my life if I have my me time.

2 weeks down, 1 to go!

Today marks the end of day 14 of the 21 day fix! I didn't follow the diet as closely as I did in week one.  I had a few splurge days with too much peanut butter and then quite a few thin mints.  Even though I messed up, I will not let this affect week 3! I finished off this rough week stronger than ever with an amazing yoga session and an amazing run on this gorgeous day.  Running for me has always been a challenge.  I always felt like I couldn't do it due to physical factors.  Once I got over that and realized the amazing feeling that comes after a really good run, I couldn't imagine not running!  Even on days when I'm slow, I know if I push for just a few more minutes the pay off feeling will be worth all of the sweat and pain.  Knowing that pain is only temporary and it will be replaced with an even more amazing feeling helps push me through any workout no matter how tough it is.

One of my favorite parts of today was tweaking two recipes to make my first cauliflower crust pizza! I had been curious for awhile and I am so excited with this new creation! It packs in tons of protein and vegetables and I feel like I had a cheat meal without technically cheating.

My recipe in particular calls for 2 green containers from the fix, 1.5 red, and 1 blue.  After washing the cauliflower I ground it up in the food processor and then wrung it out in a dish towel to get the excess moisture out.  I scooped one green container full of the ground cauliflower and added one egg (.5 red) and mixed it together.  I cooked it in 400 degrees for 15 minutes then flipped it over and cooked it another 10 minutes before adding 1 green container of spinach, mushrooms, and onions, 1 red container of chicken, and 1 blue container of mozzarella shredded cheese.  I used a little bit of minced garlic as the base layer under all of my other toppings.  I cooked it in the oven another 10 minutes before taking it out.  Next time I'll cook the cauliflower before forming the crust and add a few more seasonings into the crust.  I think the crust also needed to be cooked a little while longer while this definitely hit the spot! I can't wait to make it again with a few tweaks and see how it comes out!

I hope you had an amazing Saturday and are ready to bring it with a brand new week! I know I am! I can't wait to see what the last week of the 21 day fix will bring. :)