Laundry and Dishes

I can always tell when my husband and I are eating healthy meals at home and exercising, because I can't keep up with the amount of laundry and dishes!  Has anyone else noticed this?  By cooking meals at home, and eating them at home, and packing lunches, the amount of dishes is so much more than when we are eating out a lot or eating frozen meals at home.  With each of us working out 5 to 6 days a week, the laundry is piling up quicker than ever. 

It's been a busy few days of workouts.  Yesterday I ran 4 miles before work, and it was only 48 degrees.  That is cold for a Florida wimp like me.

I did get to wear my new Nike jacket that I bought at Kohl's last week.  It doesn't have fleece lining like the one I returned from Zappos, but this was perfect weight for this temperature.  The best thing about this jacket is the pockets.   It's kind of hard to see in this picture, but there are inside pockets where I can keep my gloves and not worry about them falling out. I think this will also be the perfect spot for my cell phone while riding my bike.

And check out the built-in strap for my iPod, to keep it snug in my front pocket. This is so much better than having the iPod on the arm band I usually wear, which gets bulky when wearing it over a jacket.

I was happy to have a lazy Ross waiting on the sofa for me when I got home.

My husband has been requesting Bean Kielbasa Soup, so last night I made it for dinner.  Normally I make this in the crockpot, but since we wanted to eat it for dinner I made it on the stove and let it simmer on low heat for about an hour.   I also added cauliflower to the soup. 

Slow Cooker Bean Kielbasa Soup
58 oz fat-free chicken broth, four 14.5 oz cans
16 oz low-fat sausage, smoked, or reduced-fat kielbasa, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced
15 oz canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
4 medium carrot(s), chopped
3 medium celery, stalks, chopped
1 large onion(s), chopped
1 tsp thyme
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained

Instructions

Mix all ingredients, except tomatoes, in a 5 to 6-quart slow cooker (crockpot). Cover and cook on low-heat setting at least 6 hours or until vegetables are tender.  Stir in tomatoes; cover and cook on high-heat setting until heated through, about 15 minutes more.
 
Today is strength training day, and I decided to try a workout from Women's Running Magazine called "Building a Strong Core".   The exercises were demonstrated with a medicine ball, but I used a 3 lb weight instead.  Exercises included:

Single-leg balance with medicine ball
Wood Chop
Rotational walking lunge
Torso rotation
Abdominal crunch with a twist
Lateral lunge with rotation
Knee kick with rotation
Stationary lunge with overhead ball
Hip twister

The focus was on core training, but it also included lunges and squats, and my shoulders felt it too.  It took about 20-25 minutes, and I burned around 100 calories.  I may supplement this with some yoga on the Wii Fit Plus tonight if I am feeling ambitious.    

Have you seen the Women's Running Magazine?  I get excited every time it comes in the mail.  I just saw on their website that they have a newsletter which features health and fitness tips, nutrition education and profiles of real women runners. Sounds good to me - I just signed up for it!

One final note, a friend sent me this video this morning called "The Day after the Marathon".  For those runners out there, you will appreciate this video.