Jacksonville Arboretum and Botanical Gardens Jacksonville, FL – August 20, 2021
It seems silly to drive for a walk, but the sun can be pretty relentless around here…when it’s not stormy…even in the morning. I suppose we could get going earlier, but we’re not that kind of team. As expected, the best place to find the shade is at the Arboretum, but even there we’re doing fairly short morning activities. As many times as I have been now, I still see something new and beautiful every time wander through their trails. We had kind of hit a stride when I took this photo and, full disclosure, the shot was for the flower, but I guess this guy was out for a stroll as well.
Jacksonville Arboretum and Botanical Gardens Jacksonville, FL – August 20, 2021
In The Gardens:
Guitar Case Greens, The Condo Atlantic Beach, FL – August 20, 2021
It got so much bigger than I expected! I love growing chard even if I don’t usually eat what I grow. I lose a lot to weather and I’m on borrowed time now, but I think it’s so pretty with the bright, contrasting stalks.
Honey Nut Squash, The Condo Atlantic Beach, FL – August 20, 2021
On The Beach:
We’re deep into the rhythm of August with heavy mornings, afternoon thunderstorms, and clear perfect evenings, so I have been trying to make up for our lack of distance during our evening walks. I have varying success with the exercise part, but we have fun on the beach regardless of heart rate. It’s never a waste of time to come to the beach.
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 20, 2021
Sweating It Out:
My pace today varied from 4.2 to 6.0 with the majority of around 5.6 and I held 3lb dumb bells for 4 of the 5 miles. Nice and even…unlike the weather outside.
What I Watched:
I am loving all the female driven content! Especially, shows that are discussing some of the realities of breaking into a predominantly male environment when you are not one of them. Specifically, the emotional care that we are expected to present to our older male counter because they might get their feelings hurt when they realize they aren’t in charge anymore. This was a good watch and Sandra Oh delivers a great character. I hope they make Season 2.
On The Plates:
Today’s menu was all about the heat of summer. My standard green drink, raw veggie snacks, and a delicious blended frozen blueberry cashew banana jar (phew…I need a better name and not Nice Cream). Okay, that was my biggest calorie meal, but supper was the only one on a plate. The other day, I listened to a Leslie Jordan interview and he mentioned that he makes chicken salad a lot and now that I have made my own mayo, I’m all about it. I wish I had hard boiled eggs in the fridge like his mama used to use, but this version has capers, tons of sauteed leeks, and a touch of Dijon. Complimented by some veggies, it makes the perfect summer plate. Maybe I should have eaten those mushrooms a few days ago, but they were still tasty. It was just a snacky kind of day which isn’t terribly unusual for me. This is why logging is so important for me though, because if I’m not paying attention, the snacking can get out of hand…pun intended. 😉
Cronometer:
Garmin Says:
Keep calm and carry on or something like that… I know it’s redundant, but I’m feeling really proud of my consistency nearing the end of Week 3.
It was a pretty overcast morning, but we headed to the arboretum instead of the beach because, frankly, Codee motivated straight for the car after some morning business. I totally understand not being into exercise first thing. Most of the people that I know like to start their day with a workout and I get that, too. It’s great to get moving and “get it out of the way”, but some of us just don’t function like that. The only time that I like running in the morning is if it is a race and there are LOTS of other people involved. My preferred time is in the afternoon and I think Codee is on board with that.
However, I do like to get moving and an easy stroll or walk is my favorite way. During the summer months, I have a few spots that like to frequent and The Jacksonville Arboretum tops the list. They have a bunch of short trails that are almost completely shaded and lots to look at if you are the nature loving sort. It’s also completely dog friendly if they are on a leash and I can usually get Codee into it for at least a mile, even at the peak of his laziness/weight gain/summer heat. The downside is that it’s about a fifteen minute drive from the condo. Of course, Codee has a different perspective and doesn’t see it as a downside, He loves to snooze in the air conditioned backseat. It’s all about how you use your time, right?
It’s too good to resist! Jacksonville Arboretum Jacksonville, FL – August 3, 2021 Off Duty Atlantic Beach, FL – August 3, 2021
The storm cleared as the evening rolled in and it was perfect for a beach walk.
Dig It Out Atlantic Beach, FL – August 3, 2021Beach Avenue Atlantic Beach, FL – August 3, 2021
Sweating It Out:
Rain days call for some treadmill time. For resistance training, I added a few different arm moves and a bonus core exercise. I’ll add this on Thursday and Sunday, which gives my arms a break on Saturday and finishes out the week by compounding all the moves on Sunday.
What I Watched:
We need all the laughs we can get these days…well, actually, on ALL days, but anyway…especially now. And you may or may not know about my crush on Jason Bateman, but despite my minor obsession with his current projects, there are lots of his movies that I haven’t watched. I have been working my way through some of the older ones and today I chose this one. There are parts where his character is reminiscent of his character, Marty, on Ozarks and I have to say, I am just fine with that. His dry delivery through ridiculous obstacles gets me every time. Also, In the past, I have said that I am not a huge Melissa McCarthy fan…we just have a slightly different sense of humor, but her talent is undeniable. I really enjoyed her performance in this one though and the two of them together are hilarious. Yes, it is a movie from 2013, but I still lost my footing on the treadmill because I was laughing pretty hard.
On The Plates:
Brunch was my standard for the week, 700ml of water blended with these ingredients. I opened the bag of chia seeds too much and instead of 12g of seeds into the VitaMix, I got 22g. There is no turning back from that…I believe this is why chefs mise en place their stuff, but alas….I skipped the eggs I was going to have because it was a lot.
Sam Sifton mentioned Gabrielle Hamilton’s piece in The New York Times Magazine featuring her recipe for a sous-chef salad in his newsletter this week. In it, she says, “I don’t question that the greatest meal salad of all time, the chef salad, was created by a chef. The combination of textures and flavors is consummately professional. Sometimes people mistake the salad bowl for a lawless place of disorganized and mismatched ingredients, chopped up and thrown in — dried cranberries on top of pumpkin seeds on top of soggy corn — which offends even me, who stakes no strong claim to her chef bona fides. A salad nonetheless requires a bit of cheffing, a little experienced attention paid to balance, texture and restraint. Not everything tastes better with bacon bits scattered on top.” There aren’t any bacon bits around here, but something tells me that she would not be a champion of this particular plating anyway. Despite the less than stellar photography of this dish, I assure you, the meal salad was great. The cauliflower still has a lot of crunch, adding in texture and the peppery arugula compliments the earthiness of the roasted beets….It’s a favorite combo of mine and I bet it’s not the last time I write that description. I am taking a month off of dairy so I skipped my standard goat cheese, but there is 4oz of shredded, roasted chicken thigh and I mixed in 2tsp of extra virgin olive oil and a splash of champagne vinegar. This salad was a little overdressed, but I definitely didn’t miss the cheese. Sometimes, when the beets in a dish turn things pink, it is a fun thing. Sometimes, it is not, but it’s almost always delicious and this was tasty.
To wrap it up, I had breakfast for dinner and an apple for dessert. I roasted the sweet potato the other day, so this came together pretty fast. Plus, I got a tiny dose of resistant starch. The unseen heroes of this dish are the 1.5tsp of avocado oil that I used in the pan and my cutting board that I use as a lid. The first teaspoon went in the pre heated pan for the cooked sweet potato and raw broccoli and then, once the broccoli was super bright green, another 1/2tsp for the eggs. Once the eggs were in, I covered it for a few minutes. I was in the mood for pretty runny eggs today. I think the yolk is super delicious with the sweet potato. I wish I got a little more color on the sweet potato, though….notes for next time. 🙂
Cronometer:
The food log app that I use and love is Cronometer. This week, I have a goal of staying below 1500 calories during five of the days and 1700 calories during the other two. I am also doing a version of time restricted eating so I don’t consume anything except black coffee, my daily vitamins, and water from 10PM until 2PM. That means that I have to eat all of my calories in an eight hour window which can be slightly tricky. These are not long term ways of life. I am working a specific program for a specified amount of time in an effort to reset some habits and refocus my nutrition.
I want to stress that nothing that I am posting is a nutrition or training recommendation for you, though. Please don’t think that I am ever recommending my plan for anyone but me.
I love the quick losses on the scale in the beginning 😉…it is the ultimate manipulation device, right? I TRY to use it just as a piece of data because I understand that it isn’t just about THAT one number, but the idea of a “right” number existing has had so long to marinate in my brain that sometimes I get lost in the obsession. I track it daily because it works for me to see just how much it can fluctuate in one day based on a significant number of factors. In any event, all data is good data and weight is a marker that is often used to predict risks of chronic metabolic disorders, so I like to know it. Technically speaking, I was two pounds from overweight yesterday. What it is not, is a judgement or a moral failing. Having said all of that, because I have been up and down the scale, I can say that the weight where I usually feel and perform the best is in the 118-121lb range and that’s the long term goal at the moment.
Garmin Says:
My Garmin app sends data to Cronometer app, so I’m not sure how they have different calorie info, but they do. There’s an algorithm kicking around in there somewhere… I have my step goal set at 15,000, but in my head I really want to hit closer to 20,000-25,000.
117 Days Until Load In…Stay safe and moving, y’all!
