Dr. Oz's Detox Day 3

Today was the 3rd day of Dr. Oz's Detox.
 
Day 3 was great. I went to get my hair done so I actually skipped my lunch smoothie. I didn't plan to be gone for as long as I was (I had other errands I had to run) so I didn't bring it with me as I did yesterday. I wasn't hungry all day! Honestly, I didn't even "eat" "dinner" until very late. I've read that on cleanses/fasts that the more you do them actually the more energy you have--this was definitely the case today. I cleaned the whole house, I did all the laundry, ran lots of errands, and still felt energized and not hungry!
 

DINNER SMOOTHIE

 
Delciousness Factor (1-10): 10
Ingredients:

• Blueberries
• Coconut Water
• Kale
• Mango
• Lemon
• Avocado
• Cayenne Pepper
• Flaxseeds

Calories: MyFitnessPal says 322.8 Calories
 
This was definitely my favorite smoothie. I've thought that I will make this again even when I'm not detoxing. When I was making this ahead, I though "cayenne peper and blueberries...yikes". But it was delicious. This smoothie is SPICY too! It really has a kick to it to make it interestingly delicious. I figured out why they have you drink this at night before your bath...the pepper helps open the pores to detox more in the bath! Definitely helped! This smoothie is also just as filling as the rest, kept me full until morning when I had my tea and breakfast smoothie!

Overall I loved this detox and definitely would do it again.
 
Pros

• Felt great
• It was only 3 days!
• Smoothies were great
• The bath is amazing
• Felt like it worked ridding the toxins from my body--felt like I didn't "need" caffeine on my next early morning trip, felt like I didn't crave a sugary food like I normally do around 3pm.

Cons

• Start up costs make it expensive (lavendar oil, flaxseed, coconut oil, stevia, the multi vitamins, epsom salt). If you don't already have these it can jump up your shopping list's cost quite a bit. But now that I have these items, the next time I do this I won't have as much costs. I really only need to buy the fresh fruits and veggies.
• The Lunch Drink was awful. The second day, because I was hungry I think it was more manageable...but on the 3rd day when I skipped the lunch and came home just the thought of the lunch drink made me gag. I have read that you should chop the celery up before blending it and it helps... who knows.

 
 
 
 :)maggie

ps--I realized I never posted this. I had it written but I didn't publish whoops! Just a couple months late!
 

Dr. Oz's Detox Day 2

Today was the second day of Dr. Oz's 3 Day Detox.

I was a little hungry today, way more than I was yesterday, and my hungriest time was leading up to lunch. After the lunch smoothie, I was full until dinner and I feel a little hungry now but not anything bothersome. I took the detox bath again today and feel even better. My skin is SO smooth and the coconut oil that you use as lotion after the bath is AMAZING. One thing about the bath... only soak for 15 minutes (I set a timer on my phone) because you will get dehydrated. I got dizzy coming out of the bath both days.

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Lunch Smoothie Review

Deliciousness: On a scale of 1-10... 3
Ingredients:

• Celery
• Cucumber
• Kale
• Green Apple
• Lime
• Coconut Oil
• Almond Milk
• Pineapple

Calories: From MyFitnessPal... 412

First thing about this smoothie: it's NOT good. I don't know what it is...but it is just not good. It's drinkable (I really should say edible as this is a very THICK drink) but it's not enjoyable. Other people who have done the Detox also say that the lunch drink is bad. When I drank it yesterday for the first time I thought I wouldn't be able to drink it again today and then tomorrow too...but surprisingly today wasn't as bad. I actually ate it like soup out of a container today when I went to lunch with one of my reps.

Like I said, I feel great. I'm excited to finish this tomorrow and see the final results!

:)maggie

3 Day Detox by Dr. Oz (Day 1)

So I know, I know...it's been forever since I've blogged!

Recently I've been hitting both the gym as well as cross training really hard. One of my new favorite things is Fridays. Fridays at 4:30 I go to a Pilate's class. Our instructor combines yoga into it as well so it's improving flexibility and core strength. Then exactly after that class is SPIN! I love spin because it allows me to not have the impact from running yet still get an AMAZING workout. I feel my legs getting stronger by the class and it's ultimately helping in my running times too (which I know is coming from Pilate's as well).

We decided not to do the other half marathons we originally were going to do and save the next 13.1 for Fontana Days in June. (I still may do the half at Run Through Redlands in April). We've just been running and training for distance! I recently ran a 5K with our work team for Race for the Cure. It was AMAZING. There were so many people there it was really inspiring. I ran it is 26 flat and I haven't ran that fast since I got my orthotics so I feel like my other activities are helping me!
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So just a bit of an update... now on to the blog post at hand...The 3 Day Detox. I found this on Pintrest. Dr. Oz is the one that started this (and I didn't realize it, but my mother in law also did this last fall and loved it). The thing that got me really wanting to do this was the fact that it's only 3 days. I do another cleanse from Trader Joes that's 2 weeks. Since it's only 3 days it's really not supposed to help with weight but more to rid yourself of toxins in your body.

It's a smoothie cleanse and you drink 3 smoothies a day that are different and I'm willing to bet that they are designed for something different but I can't find out the reasoning behind that.

Since I'm going to review each day, I will review one smoothie per day along with how I felt. (HERE IS THE DR. OZ CLEANSE INSTRUCTIONS)

Breakfast Smoothie

Deliciousness Scale (1-10)...10!
Ingredients:

• Water
• Flax seed
• Bananas
• Raspberries
• Spinach
• Almond Butter (I used Peanut Butter)
• Lemon

Calories: Myfitnesspal said 312 calories

I really liked this smoothie. It's definitely a true fruit smoothie. Very delicious and refreshing. It kept me full until lunch with no problem. I drank the smoothie at 7:30 and had lunch at 12:30. Using the blender made it think but definitely drinkable.

Before breakfast you drink a cup of green tea with a lemon (I used Trader Joes Organic Green Tea)


After breakfast you take half of a serving of your multivitamin and a full serving of your probiotic. (I use Vegan Raw multivitamin--I've taken these for awhile and like them--serving is 3; I use Trader Joes Probiotic and LOVE this probiotic--serving is 2)

After lunch you take the other half of a serving of the multivitamin and then a full serving of the Omega 3 (I picked up the Omega 3 at Trader Joes--serving size is 1).

After dinner you take your detox bath. I was a little skeptical about this because it's 2 cups Epsom salt and 10 drops lavender oil. You then use coconut oil for your lotion afterwards. I thought it was just a process but even after one bath my skin feels AMAZING. If you do this detox, DO NOT skip out on the bath.

I wasn't hungry all day, I feel great tonight and am looking forward to tomorrow!

:)maggie 

Getting Back to a Training Plan

First, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!! I hope everyone has had a very nice holiday and got some downtime with family and friends. I know I did! Maybe a little too much food, too many drinks, and late nights.

Now, it's back to training! We have races starting in January (visit the schedule of races down at the bottom of this blog). Yesterday, the day after Christmas, we decided it'd be great to get back into it but as we walked out the door to for a tempo run, it started raining! Instead, we decided to go to the gym and do a leg work out. Needless to say my legs and butt are sore! But it feels great. Today I'll be doing the tempo run (2 miles easy @ 10:53 a mile; 3 miles short tempo (9:18 a mile; 1 mile easy @ 10:53).

I'm excited to get back into training especially now with my orthotics. After the last half I ran, I wasn't sore at all, and I attribute that to the orthotics 100%. My problem from that race was the blister I got from my orthotics, so I'm hoping I've become accustom to them by now.

So this week, the planned training looks like:
Yesterday 12/26--Leg Workout
Today 12/27-- Tempo Run (6 miles; 2 miles easy; 3 miles short tempo pace; 1 mile easy)
Friday 12/28-- Yoga Class & Cycling Class
Saturday 12/29-- Long Run (8 miles)
Sunday 12/30-- Arm and Ab Workout & Cycling Class

Next Week:
Monday 12/31--Sprint Intervals (400, 600, 800, 1200, 800, 600, 400 with 400RI) 
Tuesday 1/1--OFF for obvious reasons :)
Wednesday 1/2--Tempo Run (5 miles @ Mid-Tempo Pace 9:42)
Thursday 1/3-- Leg Workout
Friday 1/4-- Yoga Class & Cycling Class
Saturday 1/5--Long Run (9 Miles)
Sunday 1/6 --Arm and Ab Workout



Schedule of Races 2013
January--Highland YMCA Run (10K and Half Marathon) in Highland, CA--January 29
February--Brea 8K Run in Brea, CA--February 24
March-- Long Beach Half Marathon in Long Beach, CA--March 10
April--Run Through Redlands Half Marathon in Redlands, CA--April 21
May-- OC Half Marathon--May 5
June--Fontana Days Half Marathon in Fontana, CA--June 1

Second Half Marathon...In The Books!

So as the title suggests, I ran my second half marathon this weekend. I ran the Holiday Half Marathon in Pomona, CA. I wanted to run this one because of the medal that you get. It's a snowflake and very unique. Also, if you run this race 3 or more years in a row, you get the snowflake medal along with a penguin medal and every year after it's a different penguin!

Unfotunately I didn't get to train as much as I wanted to for this race for a variety of reasons: I had to get my orthotics (then get used to them), I was sick for an entire week (even had to go to Urgent Care from dehydration), and I've been traveling more (so getting in training runs is difficult and something I have to get used to). I was still commited to this race though, and come hell or high water, I was going to complete it!

A couple things about this course.

1. This is a hard course (at least in my opinion). It is hilly...see the elevation chart below.
2. The course is BEAUTIFUL. I highly recommend this race especially if you love to look at scenery.



So...how did I feel?



My Blister!

Well I felt great for the first 4 miles. I've been dealing with a blister on the bottom of my right foot since I got my orthotics so I wrapped and taped my foot to help but by 4.5 miles the tape had slipped, causing an even worse blister. Thankfully there was an aid station at mile 5 and I got re-wrapped with some Neosporin. This held up until mile 12. By mile 12, my blister tore and it was excruciating pain, but since I only had a mile left, I was bound and determined to finish!

Because of my blister (and having to stop at the aid station for 5 minutes), my time was pretty much shot out of the water, but I did finish and I felt very much accomplished. Although this is the slowest time on record for me (12 mins a mile; 2:37 finish time), I felt more accomplished and proud than I ever have. I ran this one by myself (usually my family runs with me) and I had the blister. But as I crossed the finish line I still felt proud. It's not about the time, all the time. Sometimes it's just about finishing!



The Medal!

After Finishing 13.1!




Running With Orthotics

Greetings Everyone!

I know it's been awhile since I've blogged (again). Last time I wrote, I told of my pronated feet and arthritis.

All my life, I've had pronation of the ankles. This is when your ankles roll inward like this. To the right is an example of what your foot should look versus a pronated foot.

What this does essentially is creates more pressure and stresses on your feet, knees, hips, and back. Since I've had this issue my whole life I have never really noticed how much it has affected me.

So, how did I get this and why? I walked at nine months and I was a particularly heavy baby. The extra weight coupled with walking early, my ankles developed that way.

I went to the chiropractor for problems I was having with my hips running longer distances and he traced the problems in my hips and knees to my foot and prescribed me orthotics. I got my orthotics custom made and received them about two weeks later. Let me first say that orthotics take a lot of getting used to. Because I was so used to walking, standing, and running pronated; walking, standing, and running with orthotics was terrible to say the least the first few times. Just wearing them at work was painful to my back and running with them--well I couldn't even run 2 miles without stopping due to pain. I tried again and got blisters on my arch. The key is wear them in every shoe possible for as long as possible to get used to them and also to help the pronation. It is uncomfortable at first because your body is changing the way it's used to doing things. It's crazy that just a slight change in how your foot sits can affect your entire body! My chiropractor (who has worn the same orthotics I have for the past 20 years) said I will be faster in my runs and I won't be as sore after long runs. I ran for a third time with orthotics and was able to run 8 miles with little discomfort. My blister on my right foot got a little worse so I need to figure out what that's about but it wasn't unmanageable.

Did I mention I had to change shoes? In a previous post I raved about my Nike+ Free Run 2 model I was using. I think this was the part of this ordeal I was most bummed about. There was no way around needing new shoes. I had to go from a minimalist shoe to a "neutral" shoe with more support. I started running with the Nike+ Structure 16 model. It's a little heavier but definitely a great shoe so far!

So now that I know these orthotics will help out after I get used to them, I offer the same advice to everyone...if you need orthotics, GET THEM, and DON'T GIVE UP. They are uncomfortable in the beginning but they will  help!

What else did the chiropractor find out that helped me?
1. I was getting chronic headaches and none of my doctors could tell me why. I even had to go to the Urgent Care for having a headache for 9 days... I had shots in my neck to numb my nerve endings to hopefully help but it just masked the pain. Once I visited the chiropractor, he pinpointed the problem: my posture! Once he adjusted me and I started working on my posture, I haven't had a headache since I started visiting him!
2. I learned I have arthritis in my feet from the pronation. (arthritis?... I'm 26!)
3. I have bad posture and I learned how someone is really supposed to stand (think like a waiter standing at an event--hands clasped in front, shoulders back, neck in).
4. Getting adjusted feels amazing!
5. A lot of people think that you'll never stop going once you start. At least with mine, that is not the case. He is there to help me fix myself. He adjusts me to where I need to be and follows up on things that I need to work on (like my posture, my orthotics, etc). If you do feel the need to go, research before you choose one. Mine is also into holistic healing and never does x-rays (so maybe find one into holistic healing).

Anyway, I'm looking forward to improving my body along with my run times. I have a half marathon on the 9th and that will be the first race I run with my orthotics! Can't say I'm particularly excited about running 13.1 with these today but hopefully by then they are causing me even less discomfort.

:)maggie

HOLY COW! It's been a month since I blogged!

I can't believe the time has flown by! It's been over a month since I blogged.

I promise it hasn't been a month since I've ran. I actually have been running quite a bit. I have switched my focus for now from half marathons to 10K's as the race season just began and my hubby, his dad, and I run 10K's together frequently. I plan on running my first half of the season in December so I will be continuing my half training this week.

We just ran our first race of the season. We ran the Race For The Rescues in Pasadena. It's a REALLY cool race. All benefits animal rescues. You can bring your dog and run/walk with them. They have adoption events all day as well as silent auctions and Jane Lynch from Glee was there this year. Last year it was Coach Beast from Glee. The course is around the Rose Bowl. The 5K is one lap and the 10K is two laps. My husband, his dad, and I all ran our fastest 10K times we've ever ran. My hubby and his dad both got FIRST PLACE in their age groups!!! It was a lot of fun, and definitely recommend this race for everyone, especially if you love animals.

We discontinued our half marathon training a couple weeks before our 10K run to focus on faster, shorter runs to make sure we weren't just focusing on our long distance. It clearly worked.

When we go back to half training, we will continue in the week we left off.

Some highlights since my last post:

1. I ran for the first time in Portland. That was awesome. I ran downtown down to the river and a long the river.
2. I ran my fastest 10K (Race for the Rescues).
3. I am working more than ever!
4. I went to the chiropractor and found out that I have arthritis of the feet and I have to get orthopedics for my shoes (I'll be doing a review on those once I get them).
5. I have committed to the Holiday Half (Snowflake Half Marathon) in December.

More to come this week from continued training!

:)Maggie