Hello! Weāve made it to Friday-Eve! It seems like itās been another long, but fast week. I feel like its Monday then I blink and its almost the weekend!
Iāve wanted to keep this cycle of posting more regularly on here, so this time around Iām gonna keep it short and sweet. Sharing with you what Iām loving lately in terms of what Iām into, my training, outside of fitness and work, and just LIFE in St. Pete!
RUNNING
This is the second to last week of half marathon training! Iāve put in quite a few miles (maxing at 35 miles last week) and have been feeling great. Iāve kept the twice in a row running (one easy, one hard intensity workout) with an active recovery day or rest day in between. Iāve kept this since January of this year, and I feel Iāve responded to it well. I enjoy a nice change in pace (LOL @ running puns) from the hitting the pavement with a bodyweight or strength workout at home or at work. I get a sweat without killing myself. I save the tough workouts for the road! š
I have my race, Run Singer Island Half Marathon on 4/20 on Singer Island (Palm Beach County where my parents live. Singer Island is about 20 minutes north). After that I have the Best Damn Leftover 5K Safety Harbor in June. Iām not sure where Iāll be when Iām done in June, but until then I plan to keep about 30-35 miles per week.
Iāve really been into yoga, foam rolling, and any restorative or deep stretching. I usually do this at night before bed along with PT exercises, but have found myself more into yoga and less self-guided type sessions. I sometimes will put on a Yoga with Adriene YouTube video and follow along which I did earlier this week that was heavenly. Iāve used my breaks at work to focus on more specific area of foam rolling (tennis ball under feel and ankle), along with more stretching of hips and back. At home at night, I put on my essential oil diffuser or sleepy time music on Spotify as a way to get myself ready for a good nights sleep. Today at work, I tried meditation for the first time! 30 minutes too! It wasnāt too bad or boring, another good way to de stress or add to your morning or evening routine.
This coming weekend Iām running the Runway 5K at Tampa International Airport with a few friends which Iām looking forward to. Shortest distance for me in a long time. š Excited to see how this goes!
LAZY MEAL PREP
Yep, itās a thing. I reallllllyyyy have not been in the mood to cook all the meals or try anything brand new. The idea of me standing in the kitchen all afternoon just does nothing for me. I donāt feel like being creative, racking up large grocery bills (theyāre never THAT expensive but still), plus clean-up. And for me in this moment, Iād say thatās totally OK! If youāre all in about cooking up a storm because that works for YOU, you do your thing! I feel like meal prepping goes in phases for me anyways, so Iām sure Iāll be back in the kitchen soon enough. I must say though, the Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow cookbook is AMAZING and even if youāre not a runner, there is seriously some good info and recipes in there. Iāve not made one thing I donāt like!
Since I do feel SOME kind of prep is needed for me, I stock up on frozen vegetables, easy to cook or pre-cooked meats or protein sources, and some pantry staple carbs.
These have been some common foods Iāve enjoyed the past couple weeks. Theyāre items I have on hand and take minimal time to prep. Whenever I use my pantry staples, anything really goes. Iām not too particular on how āwellā they will go together. Food is fuel so if its tasty, fresh, and ready to used, Iāll use it!
-Boxed pasta and rice- notĀ necessarily whole wheat, gluten free, or organicāwhite enriched pasta thatās Publix brand as well as Publix brand brown instant rice.
-Just Grilled Chicken by Trader Joeās- pre cookedĀ grilled and frozen chicken strips. I cut some up, reheat and put ranch, everything bagel seasoning, and peppers on them! Really yummy for a quick chicken salad.
-Eggs- This I do buy often. I either go with a fried egg or hard boiled. Perfect snack, addition to a salad, on toast, in an egg scramble with veggies. Perfect!
-Frozen Veggies- Steam in a bag is what I prefer. I buy about three different kinds. Added fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and all you did was mic āem!
-Fruit- both fresh and frozen. I prefer fresh, so I always have bananas or apples on hand. I also have mixed berries which I love for yogurt or overnight oats.
-Oats- I donāt buy fancy steel cut. Old fashioned is fine for me! I make overnight oats for work and mix in a banana, yogurt or vanilla whey, PB2 powder, almond milk, and water. Ā I also really like mixed berries, yogurt, oats, and vanilla. Super convenient and tasty. Theyāre ready to eat as soon as I get to work and include a healthy balance of carbs, fats, and protein to start my day off right!
These are some staple items Iāve enjoyed the past couple of weeks! Like most people, we all have budgets and donāt wanna spend a fortune at the grocery store every week! Iām always surprised how much I can make do with what I have and still enjoy a healthy and satisfying meal.
EXPLORING ST. PETE & GETTING OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE
One thing Iāve committed more to this year is really delving into living and learning as much as I can about St. Pete. I truly truly love where I live. I never thought I would live over here, but this move was definitely a blessing in disguise!
Since life and other commitments have taken over the first half of the year since I bought my condo, I hadnāt yet made it to an HOA meeting. This is something I wanted to be in the know about, without getting too political about it š I finally went to my first one earlier this week and introduced myself as, āAli Swank in unit 310.ā Iāve been in touch with the property manager a few times to help answer some general questions, etc. but I wanted the board to also know who I was. Thereās been talk about the smoking policy and making the community *hopefully* a smoke free place to live which IāM ALL ABOUT since I have smoker living under me (itās not bad or a terrible nuisance, but I smell residual smoke on occasion and it occasionally deters me from using my patio…ANNOYING). I didnāt get all my panties in a twist at the meeting regarding this issue, but I wanted to make myself present. Putting myself out there, meeting others, becoming involved, thatās the goal! BOOYA.
On another note… š
One awesome thing about St. Pete is how much they push activity, exercise, and wellness. Theyāve created an initiative called Healthy St. Pete that is all about raising awareness of a healthy and active lifestyle through free group fitness. Yes completely free!! Each Saturday of the month they feature either yoga, trail running, hula hooping, dance, basically anything! They meet all over local St. Pete parks on Saturdays. All you do is show up! How great is that?
Last weekend I attended the free first Saturday yoga in the park. It was done by a local yoga studio in St. Pete in Coffee Pot Park (off 30th Ave N) and it was AMAZING! I usually donāt crave a yoga class, but I did that day! Not only was it an amazing class, but I also went to push myself and get to know others in the community. I didnāt make a group of friends off the bat, but I put myself out and introduced myself which was a huge thing for me. If you know me, I come off shy and very reserved so I was super proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone. Ā I plan to continue to put myself out there and meet others in this community!
On that note, thatās all I have for now!
Thanks for reading and talk soon š
-Ali
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