I Hate Running: Log 4 - Everything But Running

Once again, my running log is going to be lacking in actual running. But, it is about a few things that will help me once I get clearance about my knee.

Thankfully, it is feeling much better. But, I have not yet tried to run on it because I mistakenly thought my doctor's appointment was early last week, but it's not until tomorrow (Monday). If all goes well, I should be up and running again by Wednesday and back on schedule.

I am also looking forward to running next week so that I can test out my new running shoes. Check out these little beauties:

They are Ascis Gel Kahana 3 running shoes. They are made for stability and will hopefully help to correct my over pronation (which I suspect helped contribute to my knee problem). I am so excited to have a real pair of running shoes! (and maybe even more excited that I picked them up for nearly half of their retail price of $75 - sweet!).

As for my "workout" this week I walked for 30-45 minutes for 4 days and added in crunches and push-ups, which I have been doing nightly.

I also made some changes to my diet by upping my water intake (9-10 cups a day), and following a plan that's essentially a hybrid between the knowledge from The Food Lovers Fat Loss system and The Zone (thanks to my good friend Amy @ Brain Doodlies for all the info and advice about these plans! We did not actually order either of these systems, just garnered info from infomercials, books, and the interwebs).

The plan is not what I would consider a "diet". Instead, it's about learning to eat sensibly and get the most out of your meals by having foods that will give you longer lasting energy throughout the day. In a nutshell, I have been striving to eat a "fast carb" (bread, pasta, etc) which gives you quick energy, a "slow carb" (leafy greens, berries, grapefruit, etc.) which gives you long lasting energy, and a protein (chicken, fish, cheese, etc.) that keeps you feeling full, with each meal. I've also been watching portion sizes and having a small, approximately 100 calorie, snack about two hours after each meal to keep my metabolism up.

I love this way of eating because it's practical and it is something that you can do forever because you're eating real food. It's not a fad diet and you don't become dependent on any nasty meal replacement shakes or weird pills.

And the best part? I lost 2.5 pounds!!!

I'm itching to get back into my running routine and I'm sure that fueling my body properly is going to be make a big difference. And, if all goes well at my appointment tomorrow, my running log will have a lot more to do with actual running next weekend.