Day 82: Do it yourself nutrition!

Break day was great and we both got a lot of extra sleep. Jose came home yesterday with a box of cereal and some honey. It’s time for us to make our own nutritional snacks. What better way to start than with granola? I used to make this stuff when I was much younger, and I remember that having an oven is a must. Since Jose and I don’t have an oven we will have to borrow one instead. All I remember of making granola was honey and oats. Here is another simple granola recipe that i found online. I hope it inspires you to have some fun in the kitchen for your health! Happy fun time everyone!

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” – La Rochefoucauld

Day 81: This crazy weather

Calli- Another run today that wasn’t much different from all the others. It was a Zone 2-4-2 and it went nicely; no injuries. As usual I ate half a banana this morning, but this time it was after the work out. More than anything I am looking forward to the day off tomorrow. We have worked pretty hard this week, and it has taken extra energy to add some strength training to our regular workouts. Have fun out there everyone and this is still the new year so spread the love and happy feelings! 

Jose- This morning was challenging because of the cold weather. I guess the weather is going crazy everywhere and Costa Rica is not the exception. But we managed to get up and go to the gym a little bit later than we expected. The run was easy today. My calves are very tight though, I’m guessing that’s due to a poor stretching time. It felt good to maintain zone 4 for 4 minutes without reducing the speed. I was running at 9.5 mi/hr (around 15.3 km/hr). I know that for now I cannot hold that pace for longer than those 4 minutes, but I’m sure I will be able to do it in a few weeks from now. I HAVE TO! So I’m working hard for it.

“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” – Liane Cardes

Day 79: You’re an Apple

Calli-  Ahhhh it feels so nice to be back in a regular routine. It is also a little bit boring not having the scenery of Punta Leona. However, I am sure that’s a regular thing when training. I have been having trouble sleeping lately. I keep tossing and turning because my limbs feel like they are constantly moving and to rest them is a challenge. I know this is because I am not recovering my muscles enough during the day by drinking water. Drinking water is the first most important nutrition fact when it comes to a healthy body. The picture today is in lieu of our morning habits after a work out. Usually we have some coffee, some crackers, and some fruit. We eat most of our carbs during the day and for dinner we stick to protein and veggies. Happy fun time everyone!

Jose- First running day of our new program. It was 30 minutes in either zone 2 or zone 3. We actually woke up a little bit late so we had to include our warm up in the 30 minute workout. That still gave us around 25 minutes of good running. Most of the time I was in zone 2 with a speed of 7 miles/hour (around 11.3 km/hr). That is actually great since last year for that same speed I would be already in zone 3. For the last 5 minutes I went up to 8.5 miles/hour (around 13.7 km/hr). My heart rate went up a lot more but I still felt comfortable running at that pace. My goal for this program is to be able to run at a speed of 15 km/hr (around 9.3 miles/hr) without going too high on my heart rate. We will see how my progress goes.

“Human beings are made up of flesh and blood, and a miracle fiber called courage.” – George Patton

Day 69: Training on Christmas Eve

Calli- After the short 20 min run in Zone 2 and 3 Jose and I did the first strength training work out that the gym offered to us. In it I have to do weight free squats which is pretty difficult for me. However, this time I did much better. I understood more how to position my body and use my legs and knees appropriately. It still made my knee hurt a little and my right thigh burned, but I felt good afterwards. We wanted to go swimming but the pool was not available. There is a good drill to do in order to help the freestyle pull. (It is pictured above.) This will also become a big part of our daily routine. Playing around with the bands! Merry Christmas everybody!

Jose- Contrary to what we believed, Christmas Eve at the gym was crazier than any other day. We wanted to go and run for 20 minutes and then swim for 40 minutes or so. When we got there we had to change our workout. The pool was full with kids classes and the swimming club so we had to switch to strength training. You always need to be ready for last minute changes like this one. Anyways, the weights were good and I feel good about having done 3 strength workouts this week. Also as a regular “any moment” exercise we included the one in the picture which should help especially me with my zigzag problem at the pool. We will work hard on that one too. Now we are off to our family dinner! So have fun everyone and enjoy your Christmas Eve dinner.

“There’s
lots of people in this world who spend so much time watching their
health that they haven’t the time to enjoy it.”  ~Josh Billings

Day 68: Got Pie?

These days everything is about parties, family or friends reunions and crazy consumerism. So probably is not that easy to find the time to train and/or eat right. But don’t be to harsh on yourself! Everyone needs to understand that during these holidays the best thing you can do is go to all those parties and socials and eat everything that’s being offered to you… just in moderation!

On a quote posted by I <3 to run says: “People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and New Year, buy they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas”, and nothing can be so close to being true than this. You are going to be offered pork, turkey, mashed potatoes, pie (like ours! YUM!) and a lot of many other things. Don’t just say no and look for something diet, (or in the other extreme) and don’t go and eat all you can! Just eat a good moderate portion and be happy about it! Enjoy eating the things you normally eat on the holidays. Try not to forget either to make time for the gym tomorrow or as soon as all the craziness ends! If you want to read a few more great holiday eating tips you should check out this article of 7 Tips for Healthy, Happy Holidays

We hope everyone is enjoying the holidays as much as we are, and be ready tomorrow for Christmas Eve’s dinner with your family and/or friends! Also be safe with all the craziness going on in the streets!

“The scientific truth may be put quite briefly; eat moderately, having an ordinary mixed diet, and don’t worry.” – Robert Hutchison