Hi, friends! I feel like I have SOOOOO much to tell you guys! So, before we get to this week’s healthy habits challenge, a few scenes from this weekend! Like this one….
Friday night we had an epic dinner of Costco sushi and leftover spaghetti squash while watching Bad Moms. I thought that movie was going to be hilarious, but it was kind of just blah. I think that might be because I’m not a mom yet? (Except to the children of the furry variety. ) Anyways, meh. However, I DID not feel MEH about my 12-mile run I knocked out!
That photo was taken at the half way mark, I was standing the middle of nowhere Gilbert. I say the middle of nowhere but really I wasn’t that far from my house, but I felt like I was SO FAR! I had a little hip pain at mile 4 -6, I think because when we ran north on the canal we ran on the sloped side. I have one leg shorter than the other and the sloping was exacerbating that discrepancy. (According to Dr.K I should run with my left leg aka the shorter leg, on the slope, but my right leg was on the slope.) I am such a high maintenance runner, it’s incredible, anyways, it went away thank goodness. No one else was up for running that far so I ended up doing the whole thing by myself! You know what was awesome though? My new hydration vest, I have no idea why I didn’t buy one of these sooner, especially in Arizona. Best, investment, ever. I actually ordered a cell phone band for my new iPhone and then realized it’s stupid to order an armband every freaking two years or whatever it is. So I bought the hydration vest instead, best decision ever! I drank almost the whole thing!
For breakfast, I was rewarded with an epic breakfast burrito and coffee. Don’t judge, it was from a hole in the wall type place. Mr. Hungry totally took advantage of the fact that I was in the I ran 12 miles I don’t give a bleep, I’m going to eat the table type mode. I ate half of it since I had already eaten toast and almond butter plus a ucan scoop pre-run, a ucan bar during the run, and two energy balls (mix of flax, hemp, and chia seeds) after I got back. After breakfast, I came home to get ready to celebrate a birthday lunch with Megan! (Check out my Grease Lightning outfit on Instagram!)
We ate a place in Westgate called Salt. Mexican food is my favorite and this place did not disappoint! I got shrimp tacos which were out of this world! Megan lives about an hour away so we don’t get to hang as much as I would like, I was really glad I got to see her! (PS If you are looking for some inspiration check out her blog, she has an amazing story. I can’t believe she just got a total hip replacement, you would have no idea if she didn’t tell you!)
Sunday was low key, I attempted to make some blueberry mini donuts which I have determined were a fail. However, I did get my ebook situation squared away! Notice the healthy tailgating book is now available for download for free on the right sidebar!
The make ahead high protein ebook is now available for sale, also on the right sidebar.
Do you guys have suggestions on what e-books you want or post suggestions for the holidays? I’ve had requests for gluten-free baking tips and workouts for beginners. Anything else? You can always comment on this post or email me at kelli(at)hungryhobby(dot)net! (weird paragraghs to prevent auto spam)
After errands, and casual car shopping, we stopped at Whole Foods for lunch/dinner. It was great to run into Joanne, one of my amazing blog readers and clients when I was at Life Time. You keep rocking it on all your success Joanne, you are doing great!
A long walk with Nala meant starting Accused podcast, so far I really like it. It is kind of like Serial I think?
Healthy Habits Week 45
Mobility: soft tissue work, stretching, and strengthening
Mobility is like flexibility that has a purpose (known as functional.) Think of it this way, most of us have tight pecs (chest muscles) and flexible back muscles because we hunch over our computers and cell phones all day. However, that isn’t really functional because that kyphosis (or rounding of the shoulders) can create other imbalances throughout the kinetic chain. The point of becoming of gaining mobility is to create a pattern of functionality, reducing injury and built up stress/tension. One of the first steps to increasing your mobility is foam rolling!
Traveling this past week made me realize how vital the foam roller is in my life (my travel foam roller). Whether I’m actively training for a race or not, I can tell when I haven’t used the foam roller in a few weeks. It really is vital to keeping any back or hip pain for creeping up on me by keeping me mobile without causing hyper-flexibility. I’ve written several posts over the years regarding foam rollers including:
Why You Need A Foam Roller and Dorky Video
Foam Roller App
The reason I bring this up is because mobility is so important for good health. Some people get their mobility from yoga which is truly amazing. (I love Kara’s book Nourish Your Namaste if you are looking for somewhere to start.) I LOVE hot yoga, like LOVE it, (click here for hot yoga tips) but I mostly stay away from it these days. Like many women, some of my back, hip and SI pain was likely due to overstretching the wrong muscle groups causing weakness in really important muscle groups like the glutes and core. Dr.K advises I (not everyone) steer clear of yoga, and since he was the only doctor in two years that could fix my hip pain his word is the final word. So, I opt for foam rolling.
Your goal this week is to promote mobility for 10 minutes per day. This week’s challenge is to use the foam roller daily, or if stretching, yoga poses whatever works for you that promotes mobility. If you could get it in the morning and the night that would fabulous, but once a day will suffice! eck, mid back, lower back, hip flexors, hamstrings, and calf muscles.
Wondering where to start to improve your mobility?
Common tight areas are the neck, mid back, lower back, hip flexors, hamstrings, and calf muscles. Hit each one of those muscle groups 1-2 times per day. (Please don’t foam roll on your neck, that might be obvious, but just in case it isn’t.)
52 HEALTHY HABITS IN 52 WEEKS SERIES:
The 52 Healthy Habits Series is about ditching the diet mindset and making small changes to improve health overall naturally leading to a healthy body composition, increased energy and improved health. Please follow along and check out the past weeks!
- Week 44: HIIT Training
- Week 43: LISS or Steady State Cardio
- Week 42: Limit Alcohol
- Week 41: Eat White, Wait What?
- Week 40: Eat Blue & Purple
- Week 39: Eat Green
- Week 38: Eat Yellow/Orange
- Week 37: Eat Red
- Week 36: Learn Which Foods to Purchase Organic
- Week 35: Read the Ingredient List!
- Week 34: Focus.
- Week 33: Chew Your Food!
- Week 32: Meditation
- Week 31: Gratitude Journaling
- Week 30: Plan & Revamp Dessert- 20 Healthy Ideas
- Week 29: Two fistfuls of veggies per meal
- Week 28: Get In Veggies At Breakfast
- Week 27: Healthy Veggie Snacks
- Week 26: Nourishing Fats for the Gut (Healthy Digestion Part 4)
- Week 25: Keeping Regular – The Other Fiber (Healthy Digestion Part 3)
- Week 24: Feed The Probiotics With Prebiotic Fiber (Healthy Digestion Part 2)
- Week 23: Amazing Health Benefits of Probiotics (Healthy Digestion Part 1)
- Week 22: Check In
- Week 21: What You Will Learn From Recording Your Meals (Intuitive Eating Series Part 4)
- Week 20: Eat Until 80% Full (Hara Hachi Bu) (Intuitive Eating Series Part 3)
- Week 19: Limit Distractions While Eating (Intuitive Eating Series Part 2)
- Week 18: Gaging Your Hunger Cues (Intuitive Eating Series Part 1)
- Week 17: 10,000 Steps Per Day
- Week 16: Assess Your Caffeine Intake
- Week 15: Decrease Sugar Intake
- Week 14: Healthy Coffee Creamers (upgrade yours)
- Week 13: 3 Month Check In
- Week 12: Sleep Enough & Sleep Better
- Week 11: Schedule Your Workouts
- Week 10: Pack A Healthy Lunch (5 Ways to Create Endless Combinations)
- Week 9: Prioritizing Protein
- Week 8: How and What to Meal Prep
- Week 7: Create & Stick To Your Healthy Meal Plan
- Week 6: Get Enough Omega-3’s (Fight Inflammation)
- Week 5: What Is A Healthy Fat & How To Get Enough (Include Healthy Fats)
- Week 4: How to Spot A Healthy Carbohydrate (Upgrade Your Carbs)
- Week 3: Tips to Increase Veggie Intake (Eat Veggies)
- Week 2: 15 Healthy On the Go Breakfast Ideas (Eat BF Challenge)
- Week 1: Tips to Drink More Water
Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious says
Thanks again for lunch and getting me out of the house. I wish you lived closer too! OMG…we would get into so much trouble. Could you imagine?
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Wow I thought this was a text, but it was a blog comment, all things merging together can not keep them straight… haelp me!
Patricia @Sweet and Strong says
Omg all of your eats from over the weekend look amazing. Mexican food is probably my favorite and I would love to have it for breakfast and lunch! Congrats on the 12 miles too, that’s awesome! And you reminded me that I am ALWAYS saying I need to foam roll more, now no more excuses I really need to do a few times a week.
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Thanks Patricia! Keep it next to the TV, I should have added that as a tip!