Hi Fit Peeps,
I’m back to finish my Lazy Labor Day recap since I had to scoot out in a hurry mid-post about 90 minutes ago! I confess that I can’t call anything I did yesterday “labor”. 
A good portion of this holiday weekend was spent relaxing!
Which leads me to today’s FitFeature: recharging our internal batteries and energy balance.
First, let me say that I am all for regular bouts of intense exercise. I am all for pushing beyond our perceived personal limits. But I also strongly believe we start each day with a certain amount of ‘gas in our tank’ and need to use that fuel wisely for a fit, healthy and BALANCED life. As a ‘recovering perfectionist’ , I used to go, go, go and go some more and never felt that I could afford a break. Both in fitness and life in general. It took me a long time to wise up and acknowledge the belief that I now subscribe to fully: that our physical exercise should enhance the rest of our daily living, not take from it.
Think about if you kept your foot on your car’s gas pedal and didn’t shift gears – you know that high revving sound? Don’t do that to your body! Don’t run your body with your RPMs all the way into the red. Do it for too long, and things might start to breakdown. If I know I have a crazy day ahead of me that may take a lot out of me physically or mentally, I have no problem planning my exercise around that, by switching with a planned rest day or maybe using lighter weights and higher reps if it’s a strength day. Or rather than intense cardio intervals, maybe I’ll do a slower paced run and just enjoy the scenery. Try to be tuned in to what your body is telling you.
Additionally, I try to take one full rest day each week (or at the very least a MILD activity day, like walking or yoga) and I regularly aim to spend some quality “ME” time just to top off that gas tank a bit and get the batteries charged back up. My “ME” time can be a full-on lazy day or it can be as quick and simple as taking in a minute of sunshine or a cup of tea.
Push hard to make gains, but do it wisely by including appropriate rest and recovery. REST is when your body is busy rebuilding and getting stronger, so making sure to build that time in is JUST as important as the exercise itself.
And when you listen to your body, by all means if it is telling you it’s a strong day, GO FOR IT! It’s a two-way street!
Do you take the time to recharge your batteries? How do you unwind and renew? Drop me a line in the comments section!
OK, on to yesterday’s eats:
I was so focused on getting my coffee yesterday morning that I didn’t even snap a photo! Luckily it was in a boring white mug so you didn’t miss much 
After our weight training and doggie rollerblading, I was in the mood for some eggs rather than my green smoothie. I sauteed some finely chopped mushroom and added a few slices of avocado and manchego sheep’s cheese on the side. I had a few sips of some OJ left in the fridge so I had that too. I don’t drink straight juice very often but it did sound good with breakfast.
While we were out getting a few groceries, I had a tall plain soy steamer to get me through till lunch. I LOVE their new cup “We don’t just want to make your drink, we want to make your day.” Oh Starbucks, how I love thee. You always make my day!
Lunch was the second half of the Hookipa Salad I had leftover from Tokyo Joe’s yesterday. Mmmm, salmon, greens, dried cranberries, edamame, pecans. It was almost as good the second day.
And a little piece of chocolate for dessert!
Mid-afternoon I was in full-on LAZY mode. We watched Julia Roberts and Clive Owens in “Duplicity”. With all the flashbacks and flash forwards, I needed a snack to fuel my brain just to follow along! So I made some brown bag microwave popcorn (because we don’t want all the extra stuff that they put in store-bought microwave popcorn!) and sprinkled it with nutritional yeast flakes for a cheesy flavor and some sea salt.
When dinnertime came around MSP was craving a calzone, so while he went to pick up his carry-out, I started putting together my healthy little dinner. I was feeling like something really light because somehow little chocolate chips just kept jumping into my mouth straight from the bag during the day! Boy do they have springy legs and good aim, those little chocolate chips! I used my potato peeler and made raw zucchini ribbons, then I mixed up some “improv sauce” with half of a leftover tomato, some sundried tomatoes, drizzle of olive oil, spinach leaves and some red pepper flakes. After plating it, I sprinkled a bit of parmesan on top. Look how pretty! And I was not disappointed when I ate it either – quite tasty!
OK friends, it’s time for me to peel myself away from the computer! Have a great Tuesday and I’ll look forward to showing you how dark it was during today’s run when I’m back with today’s recap!
– Shari B. =)
